I Won't Let You Go
by luminous77
Summary: This story starts at the end of season six. Leonard isn't going on a North Sea expedition, but one that brings him to the South Pacific. Things happen that change the lives of Leonard and Penny in a dramatic way.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! I'm back with my third story. My first attempt to write something more dramatic. I hope you will like it.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from _The Big Bang Theory_. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 1

Leonard and Penny sat on the table by the window in Penny's apartment and had dinner after a long day at work for both of them. Happy to be finally at home, enjoying each other's company, they talked about the events of the day. Penny had just told Leonard she got the biggest tip of her life during her afternoon shift at the Cheesecake Factory, because of a soaking wet shirt that was the result of spilling an entire tray of drinks on herself.

Leonard chuckled. He liked her stories from her workday at the Cheesecake Factory, but right now it was a little bit hard for him to pay attention. He was quite nervous and wriggled about on his chair. There was something he had to tell Penny. And he didn't know how she would take it.

"So, listen," he started when Penny had finished her story. "Do you remember when I said the similarities of the equations of general relativity and hydrodynamics suggest you could find the equivalent of Unruh radiation in a large body of water?"

Penny looked at him with a blank expression. "I thought I said that to you," she grinned.

Leonard had to chuckle again. "Anyway, a team from the University of Auckland in New Zealand has recently formed a partnership with Caltech and is looking into that, and I've been invited to join them."

Penny was happy for her boyfriend. "Wow. Good for you."

Leonard nodded. "Well, it is." He paused for a moment and looked at Penny with an uneasy expression on his face. "But, umm. You know, I'd be gone for a while."

Penny was alerted. "Gone for a while? What do you mean? It's not here at Caltech?"

Leonard shook his head, seeing the concern in her eyes. "I'm afraid not."

"Well, how long would you be gone?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"Well, umm..." Leonard paused for a moment. "Three, four months."

"Whoa." Penny's eyes opened wide. She was shocked, but tried to keep calm. "When would you leave?" she wanted to know.

"In two and a half weeks," he answered.

Penny was still in some kind of shock. "Wow. Oh, okay. Well, I'll just come visit you."

"That's the thing. You can't," Leonard sadly explained. "I'll be on a ship in the South Pacific."

Penny had to process this information. Not only would he be away for quite a long time, she also wouldn't be able to visit him during the whole time. "On a ship in the South Pacific? For four months?"

Leonard became nervous. "Yeah. And I'm a little worried because things between us have been so great, and I'd hate to do anything that screws that up."

Penny was worried too. But not because Leonard could do something stupid on that trip. No, she trusted him. She was worried because not having Leonard by her side for such a long time would be hard to bear, even with all their friends around her here in Pasadena. She doesn't want him to go. Not wanting to appear clingy or selfish she covered up her true feelings by saying something humorous. "Oh sweetie, if you're gonna screw things up, it's gonna be while you're here, not while you're away," she chuckled.

Leonard had to chuckle as well, but he quickly became serious again and looked into Penny's eyes. "Hey, if you want me to stay, just say it. In this case I won't go. One word from you is enough. It's as simple as that."

Penny was in an internal conflict now. With Leonard saying this, he built her a golden bridge to keep him here with her, but on the other hand, this was something he deserved as a scientist. "No. I mean, look, you have to go. This sounds like an amazing opportunity. I don't want to be the one who prevented you to be part of something that could lead to a scientific breakthrough," she reasoned. "No honey, denying you this, would be selfish."

Leonard took a bite of his food and smiled. He was glad, his girlfriend supported him.

"And I'm just basing that on how much I didn't understand what you said about it," she added with a giggle.

Leonard grinned. "Okay. I'll confirm the travel arrangements tomorrow."

Penny nodded. "Okay. Good." Actually this wasn't good. Quite the contrary. But under no circumstances she would deny him this excellent opportunity to enhance his scientific profile. She would suck it up.

Leonard sensed Penny's insecurity and took her hand. "And you'll see. Time will fly by," he assured her.

* * *

In the following two and a half weeks till Leonard's departure, they spent every minute together when they weren't at work. Leonard practially moved into Penny's apartment, much to the dismay of his roommate Sheldon. In this time of closeness the bond between Leonard and Penny grew stronger and stronger. Although Penny encouraged Leonard to go on this resarch trip, the newfound closeness of these two would make it extremely difficult to say goodbye, even on a temporary basis. The time ticked away inexorably, and the last night before Leonard would go away for a few months arrived much too soon for them.

Earlier the evening the gang threw Leonard a nice going-away party, with all wishing him the best on his trip. Even Sheldon had the heart to be happy for his roommate. Given the circumstances of the party the mood was quite relaxed and serene, but was brought down to some degree later by the fact that Raj's girlfriend Lucy had dumped him via text message.

* * *

When the party was over Leonard and Penny went into apartment 4B to let the evening fade out.

"Poor Raj," Penny said, taking off her shoes and flopped down on her couch.

Leonard also took off his shoes and sat down next to her. "It wasn't meant to be," he sighed.

"Let's not talk about Raj now. I will see how he's doing tomorrow after I brought you to the airport." Penny leaned over to Leonard and kissed him. "This is our last night, before you will be away for four months."

"Will you be okay?" Leonard asked her.

"Yes, I think I will be okay. I have my friends around me and like you said two weeks ago, 'Time will fly by'." She couldn't prevent some tears welling up in her eyes. "Will you be okay?" she asked with a slightly shaking voice.

He took Penny's hands and looked into her beautiful green eyes. "I think so. There's no doubt I will miss you dreadfully. When I'm on this ship the last thing I will think of before I fall asleep will be you and the first thing I will think of the next morning will be you as well. It will be extremely hard to be without you for such a long time. But I'll be back here with you in no time."

Penny nodded and blinked her tears away. The affectionate look in Leonard's eyes let her feel an overwhelming rush of love for Leonard and in the next moment her lips met his. They started to kiss, slow and tender at first but it became more and more passionate with every second. Only the need to catch their breath broke the kissing after a while. They looked deeply into their eyes. Penny's eyes were now almost black of arousal. "Come with me," she wispered in a seductive voice and grabbed Leonard's hand. They walked into Penny's bedroom, where they immediately resumed their kissing. Leonard started to run up with his hands on Penny's side, eventually coming to her back and unzipping the black dress, she wore for the party and pushed it upwards. Lifting her arms to make it easier for Leonard to pull the dress over her head, he did so and let it fall to the floor.

Standing before him just clad in her panties, Leonard's lips returned to Penny's and seeked entrance to her mouth. Their tongues were literally entangled for a while before he moved away across her jaw to her neck. Kissing this very sensitive spot below her ear send blissful sensations through her body to the point, an unvoluntary moan escaped her mouth. Leonard continued to explore Penny's body with his lips, planting gentle kisses all over her body.

Penny grabbed Leonard's jacket, threw it to the floor and began to unbutton his shirt. A few moments later he pulled down her panties, while Penny opened the belt of Leonard's pants and unzipped his pants. She grabbed the waistbands of both his pants and his shorts underneath and yanked them off with a jerk.

Lifting Penny up, she wrapped her legs tightly around Leonard's hip. Holding Penny, Leonard walked a few steps until he ran into the edge of the bed and kissing both fell onto it. Lying on the bed they continued their passionate kissing. Leonard pulled out all the stops of foreplay, which put Penny into thrills of ecstasy she had hardly ever experienced in this intensity before.

When Leonard and Penny's bodies finally joined, both let out a deep moan of pleasure. With her legs wrapped around his back, the love making that followed was gentle and tender, an expression of the deep love they felt for each other. At one point Penny took over the control. Sitting on top of Leonard, her slow and deliberate movements caused a feeling of pure bliss for him.

After a while her movements gradually became sort of frantic though, giving their love making a feeling of desperation, especially from Penny's side, knowing they wouldn't feel each other this way for a long time. Her movements on Leonard becoming more and more fierce. It was as if Penny would fall into a trance-like state. And suddenly tears began to stream down from her closed eyes.

Leonard saw the tears and the desperation in her movements, and he knew why. Resting his hands on her hips, he tried to calm her down. "Penny, Penny," he said in a soothing way. "Please, don't cry. I'm coming back."

Penny didn't react at first, so Leonard repeated his words in more firm way, which pulled her out of her current state.

Leonard wiped her tears away with his hands and looked into her eyes with a smile on his face. "Penny, I'm coming back. I promise."

Penny smiled back and leaned forward to kiss him. "I'm sorry, babe. My emotions got the better of me."

They continued their love making in a gentle and tender way, which culminated in a wonderful mutual climax.

But this night was far from over for Leonard and Penny. Neither of them wanted to sleep. So they continued to make love long into the night.

* * *

Since Penny had a day off from work, and Leonard's flight was scheduled for 16.25 p.m. in the afternoon, they could sleep late. It was around ten o'clock when they got up. After showering together they ate something and watched TV. They sat on Penny's turquoise couch huddled up to one another, enjoying the closeness they wouldn't have for the next few months. Neither Leonard nor Penny wanted to think about the time they would be apart in this moment. They just wanted to spend every minute of their remaining time before Leonard's departure in intimate togetherness.

Ninety minutes later Leonard looked at his watch and sighed. Time had ticked away mercilessly. "It's twelve thirty. I should go over to my place and say goodbye to Sheldon."

Reluctantly he got up from the couch and went over to apartment 4A.

It was one o'clock, when Leonard and Penny headed off to the Los Angeles International Airport. At first Sheldon wanted to accompany them, but they insisted to have the moment of saying goodbye to each other for themselves.

Due to heavy traffic, they needed more than an hour and a half to arrive the airport. But it was enough time left for the check-in and the security screening.

Penny parked her car in front of the departure terminal and sighed heavily. "Well, here we are."

Leonard nodded. "Yep." He turned to Penny and looked at her. "I'm really gonna miss you."

Looking into Leonard's beautiful brown eyes that began to get a watery glance, Penny got a lump in her throat and was about to cry. "I'm gonna miss you, too," she replied with a shaky voice.

It was hard for Leonard to hold back his tears. "Remember," he said and took Penny's hand. "We can e-mail every day. The phone connections are pretty good as well. A daily phone call should be no problem. And we can video chat from time to time, so we can see each other."

Penny nodded and tried to blink her tears away, but one single tear rolled down her cheek, which Leonard wiped away with his thumb. "Did you bring enough inhalers?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered with a smile.

Wanting to string their conversation out, so she wouldn't have to let Leonard go too soon, Penny added a further question. "And extra Dramamine? You remember what happened on 'It's a Small World'."

"I'm covered," he assured her.

"Okay."

Leonard took a deep breath and pulled a little gift-wrapped box out of the pocket of his hoodie. "Umm...here's something I want to give you."

"Oh, Leonard. You shouldn't have." Penny was deeply moved.

He passed the little box on to his girlfriend. "It's just a little gift to remind you of me while I'm away. Please open it only when you're back in your apartment."

Penny looked at the little present her boyfriend just gave her, then she looked deeply into Leonard's eyes. "I love you, Leonard."

Leonard beamed. "I love you, too."

Penny leaned forward and gave him a series of tender kisses, followed by a long hug. They held on to each other for dear life, neither of them wanting to let the other go. When they parted, they looked at each other with teary eyes.

"Promise me, you won't forget me, while you're away," Penny said smiling.

"I promise," Leonard replied, smiling back at her, holding up two fingers of his right hand.

Penny chuckled, continuing in a more serious tone. "And promise me, you come back safely."

"I will. I promise."

"Good. And call me as soon as your plane has arrived."

"I will."

"Okay. Now, I will let you go, or the plane takes off without you," Penny chuckled. "Have a safe flight!"

"Thank you."

Penny leaned forward again and gave him a last tender kiss.

Reluctantly Leonard opened the passenger door and left the car. He went to the trunk and took his luggage out it. Putting the two suitcases down on the sidewalk, he went back to passenger door. Looking through the open window, he gave Penny a radiant smile. "Bye Penny. You'll see. I'll be back in no time."

"Bye Leonard. Take care of yourself! I love you."

"I love you, too." He waved at Penny, who beckoned back with a sad smile on her face, and picked up his baggage. With a heavy heart Leonard turned around and walked into the airport building.

Penny looked after him until he was out of sight. Sighing and taking a deep breath, it was extremely difficult for her to fight back the tears, which were about to well up again. She needed a few minutes to compose herself, before she could start her car and drove off.

* * *

Three hours later, Penny was back in her apartment again. After bringing Leonard to the airport she had visited Raj to see how he was doing after Lucy broke up with him the day before. He felt quite miserable, but as it quickly turned out, Raj was now able to talk to women without alcohol due to this experience. That was amazing, but of course her thoughts were with Leonard.

As soon as Penny had entered her apartment she flopped down on her couch and immediately started to cry, the feeling of loneliness and sadness too much for her to bear in this moment, after spending almost every minute with Leonard the last two and a half weeks. She let her tears freely roll. Still crying she took the little gift-wrapped box she got from Leonard out of her purse and opened it.

When she saw what was inside the box, joy and happiness superseded the feeling of loneliness and sadness. It was a beautiful golden heart-shaped locket.

There was also a little piece of paper inside the box. Penny took it and read what was written on it.

 _You can open the heart. Have a look at what's inside. Love you, Leonard._

She opened it carefully. In it was a picture of Leonard.

Holding the locket with both hands to her heart, it were tears of emotion, that now streamed down Penny's face. "Leonard, you wonderful, wonderful man. Now I will always have you near me. You can't imagine how much I love you."

She put on the locket and made herself something to eat, declining an offer to eat with Sheldon. She wanted to be alone for the moment.

* * *

After a flight of nearly eight and a half hours Leonard touched down at Fa'a'ā International Airport on the island of Tahiti near Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. As soon as he collected his luggage and was inside the public arrival area of the airport he called Penny to tell her he had arrived safe and sound. It was half past ten in Tahiti when he called her, but due to the time difference it was already half an hour after midnight in Pasadena. Of course it didn't matter. Penny was so happy to hear Leonard's voice and couldn't stop thanking him for his wonderful present. Leonard could really feel Penny's emotions, her love and affection for him, even through the phone and despite the fact they were thousands of miles apart. After explaining Penny the next steps of his journey on his way to the research ship, they said goodbye to each other, which took quite a while, because neither of them wanted to end the call.

"I love you too, Penny," were the last words Leonard spoke when he ended the call. He sighed deeply, missing Penny more than ever, after hearing her beautiful voice.

Preoccupied with thoughts of Penny, he didn't notice the man who tapped on his shoulder. "Ah, Doctor Hofstadter. Here you are."

Leonard was startled and abruptly turned around.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to give you a start."

"Oh, Doctor Williams," Leonard exclaimed. Doctor Matthew Williams, a fellow experimental physicist, was one of seven other scientists from Caltech who would work together with the team from Auckland University on the ship.

"Our other colleagues were already picked up by an employee from Auckland University. I was sent to collect you", he chuckled. "Now we are complete."

"I just had a phone call with my girlfriend in Pasadena," Leonard explained.

Doctor Williams smiled and gave him an understanding nod. Together they walked over to their fellow scientists.

* * *

After a somewhat restless night, because of Leonard's absence in her bed and quite a few shed tears, Penny invited Amy and Bernadette to come over to her place for a nice Sunday brunch. She desperately wanted to show them the adorable heart-shaped locket Leonard gave her. She also invited Raj to join them, since she was curious, if he still was able to talk to women without alcohol. As it turned out he was. And how. Raj talked like a waterfall during the whole time, he was at Penny's. It was a real relief, when Raj went over to apartment 4A to play video games with Sheldon and Howard.

"How are you?" Bernadette asked, as soon as Raj had left Penny's place.

"I really miss him, Bernie," Penny answered and took a deep breath, not wanting to show too much emotion. "So, it's the job of the two of you to entertain and distract me till he's back," she chuckled.

Bernadette smiled. "We'll do our best."

Amy raised a glass of wine. "Yay! Girl's night every day."

Penny laughed. "Why not! I will also take extra shifts at the Cheesecake Factory. This will help me to pass the time till Leonard's back as well. And some extra money is always welcome."

"When will you talk to Leonard again?" Amy wanted to know.

"Right now, he's on his way to the island, where the research ship is located," Penny replied. "I forgot the name, but it sounded very polynesian. He will call me as soon he's there."

* * *

The research ship where Leonard was supposed to work on was harbored in Avarua on the island of Rarotonga, one of the Cook Islands. The team from Auckland University was already there. The next day a two and a half hour flight from Papeete to Rarotonga International Airport lay before Leonard. Actually it was planned to fly directly to Rarotonga from Los Angeles, but there were not enough seats available on the contemplable non-stop flights, hence the halt in between in Tahiti.

Leonard, Doctor Williams and the other six scientists from Caltech were brought to a nearby hotel for the night. A private jet, chartered by the Auckland University, would bring them to Rarotonga the next morning.

After a restless sleep, the alarm of Leonard's phone woke him up from a strange dream. In it Penny and him stood in a plain white room face to face, desperately trying to touch each other, but it was impossible. The disturbing images haunted him for a while, but faded away as soon as he sat in the hotel restaurant, absorbed in a conversation with Doctor Williams during a nice breakfast.

Two hours later a bus brought Leonard and his colleagues to the chartered private jet, that was standing in a special area of the airfield of Fa'a'ā International Airport, ready to take off. It was a few minutes after ten o'clock in the morning when the plane had left Papeete and was on its way to Rarotonga.

As soon as the plane was in the air, Leonard took his phone out of his shoulder bag and made a photo of the interior of the private jet. It was lushly equipped, and he felt like a celebrity on his way to a special event. Penny would love the photos. Yawning, he put his phone on the table in front of him and snuggled down in the cozy window seat. Because he didn't sleep well the night before Leonard was still tired, so he decided to take a nap. With thoughts of Penny he closed his eyes and dozed off after a few minutes.

* * *

Leonard was pulled out from his sleep by a hand shaking his shoulder. He looked up and saw into the face of a young stewardess with a tensed facial expression.

"Sir, we fly through a severe thunderstorm, that developed unexpectedly. Please put on this life jacket and fasten your seatbelt." She held the bright orange item out to him.

Still half asleep Leonard took the jacket. "What's going on? Why a life jacket?"

"There's no reason for concern, sir. It's just a safety measure, in case we have to undertake an emergency water landing."

"An emergency water landing?" Leonard's eyes opened wide. "Now I'm concerned more than ever."

"There's really no reason for concern. The pilot has everything under control," the stewardess tried to calm him down.

Leonard threw over his shoulder bag, which lay on the unoccupied seat next to him, and put on the the life jacket. Lashing it down, he looked around in the cabin and could see the panic and fear in the faces of the other passengers.

He just wanted to sit down to fasten his seatbelt, when a sudden strong air turbulence caused the plane to drop violently and hurled Leonard against the ceiling. He fell back hard on the floor between two seats. The plane began to spin and sank down almost vertically at high speed. Screams echoed through the cabin and objects flew around. Groaning with pain, Leonard hung on the armrest of a seat. _This is the end. I'm not gonna survive this._ He closed his eyes and saw Penny's smiling face. "Penny", he wispered and tears shot in his eyes. "I'm so sorry." In the next moment something hit him on the back of his head and everything went black.

 **To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the kind reviews.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 2

Leonard came to himself on a liferaft. Around him the sea roared and let the lifecraft move up and down on massive waves. With him were Doctor Williams, Mandy Chow, a marine biologist from Caltech and the young stewardess. The last thing he remembered was a spinning and rapidly descending plane. And Penny smiling at him. Now it hit him. He had survived, what seemed to be an emergency water landing.

"Doctor Hofstadter", Williams screamed against the loud, howling wind and the thunderous noise of breaking waves. "I'm glad you're conscious again. Extreme turbulences caused by an unexpected thunderstorm let our jet go out of control, but the pilots managed to accomplish an emergency water landing. You were hit by something and lost your consciousness. Mandy and Jessica here and I took care of you. And here we are. The others are on a second liferaft. We were lucky to be on this one here. We almost didn't make it. Search and rescue teams are certainly on its way by now."

Leonard wanted to say something, when the swaying liferaft caused Leonard to throw up. Suddenly a roaring wave hit them and catapulted Williams, Mandy and Jessica out on the sea. Leonard, who held on to the rim of the liferaft was utterly shocked. It happened within seconds. He saw how the three were thrown on a crest of a wave and how they disappeared in a deep valley a few moments later. He could hear them scream, but he couldn't do anything to help them. Another wave hit the liferaft and tossed a first aid box against Leonard's head. Again everything went black.

* * *

A few hours later in Pasadena, Penny desperately waited for Leonard's call, that didn't came. She walked nervously up and down in her apartment, staring at the phone. She looked at the little clock on her kitchen island. _He said the plane would take off at twelve o'clock Pasadena time and would need two and a half hours to arrive its destination. But now it's almost six o'clock. Something must have happened._ Penny now feared the worst. Cold sweat run down her face and her stomach turned. She ran over to 4A. Without knocking she stormed into the apartment, where Sheldon sat in his spot and watched TV.

"Something has happened to Leonard," Penny practically screamed. "I feel it."

Sheldon immediately saw the distress in Penny's face, but he didn't know what to say. A cultural convention came to his mind. "You look upset. Can I bring you a hot beverage?"

Penny was shocked about the unemotional manner he asked her. "Sheldon, haven't you heard what I just said? Something has happened to Leonard," she yelled at him.

Sheldon flinched. "What gives you that idea?"

Totally agitated and on the verge of tears, Penny sat down in Leonard's armchair. "He wanted to call me, as soon as he would have arrived on this island his reserach ship is located. He's more than three hours overdue. I tried to call him, but I only got the message that service is not available."

Sheldon tried to calm down Penny. "Don't jump to conclusions. There are many reasons why he hasn't called yet. The plane is delayed or a poor signal in the area where he is at the moment. We can check his flight on the internet."

Penny shook her head, her voice full of despair. "He told me it wouldn't be a regular flight. The people from the university in New Zealand chartered a private jet to bring him to the ship."

Now Sheldon became slightly nervous. "Right, right. He told me yesterday. I call the university. Hopefully they have some information. You'll see, everything's okay with Leonard."

"But it's Sunday," Penny said. Tears were now rolling down her cheeks.

"I could call the University in Auckland. It's already past one o'clock in the afternoon there on Monday."

"But you are a stranger for them," Penny pointed out with a tearful voice. "You are not involved in this project. Can they give you information, if they have some?"

"I'm Doctor Sheldon Cooper. I..." Sheldon couldn't finish his sentece, because the phone in apartment 4A began to rang, startling both. Sheldon picked it up and saw, it was the number of Beverly Hofstadter.

"It's Leonard's mother," Sheldon said confused.

Penny's fears grew stronger and stronger. Why would Beverly call them in Pasadena?

Sheldon answered the call. "Hello Beverly."

While listening carefully to Leonard's mother, Sheldon's face became blank, which seemed to confirm Penny's fears. She sat in Leonard's chair, looking over to Sheldon on the phone and began to sob quietly. Although she couldn't hear anything, she knew it was something terrible Beverly told him.

Sheldon didn't say a word. He just nodded from time to time, his blank facial expression not changing all the while. "I see," he suddenly said, followed by a "OK, I understand." After listening carefully again for some time, the phone call came to an end after nearly five minutes. "Yes, I will tell her. Please let me know, when you have further information. Thanks for the call. Bye."

Sheldon ended the call and looked at Penny with a stern face. "Okay, Penny. We have to keep calm..."

Penny's face became ashen. "What happened, Sheldon? What? Tell me!" she shrieked amid tears.

"Leonard's plane was caught in a severe thunderstorm. It disappered from the radar and is considered to be missing. Search and rescue teams are underway," Sheldon spoke in a strange unemotional robot-like manner.

Penny was paralysed with horror. Every remaining color had disappeared from her face, streams of tears running down on it. A deafening silence lay in the room. Suddenly she jumped to her feet and ran out of the apartment.

* * *

Penny ran over to her apartment opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. She leaned against the door and slowly slid down to the floor. For a few minutes she just sobbed. She felt totally empty. Without Leonard her life was meaningless. And she had had the opportunity to keep him by her side. Suddenly a distinctive sound could be heard.

 _Knock, knock, knock._ "Penny?" _Knock, knock, knock._ "Penny?" _Knock, knock, knock._ "Penny?"

"Go away, Sheldon!" she yelled.

"Penny, listen to me. Leonard is indeed missing, that's true. But chances are really pretty good the search and rescue teams will find him. I'm sure he's alive. Believe me," Sheldon said through the door.

Still sobbing, Penny got up from the floor. "I said go away!" she screamed and ran into her bedroom. She threw herself on the bed and buried her face into a pillow. Sheldon may be right, Leonard could be still alive. But something deep inside told her to believe this would be an illusion. She was quite sure Leonard was gone. She had lost him. And it was her fault.

Her sobbing intensified again and almost let her body convulse. Wetting the pillow her face was buried in, she mumbled into the pillow. "I want Leonard back, I want Leonard back." She said it again and again. After twenty minutes her sobbing eventually decreased gradually until it stopped. Totally exhausted she fell asleep a short time later.

* * *

Sheldon returned to his apartment and sat down in his spot on the couch. Successively he called Amy, Raj and Howard and Bernadette. He didn't tell them what happened, he just asked them to come over. They all agreed and an hour later they were all gathered in the living room of apartmant 4A.

Amy was the first to ask what this was all about. "Okay, Sheldon. What's going on here? And why is Penny not here?"

"Penny needs our help," Sheldon replied. "Something has happened to Leonard."

Amy and Bernadette breathed heavily, an "Oh my god" escaping their mouths. Howard and Raj looked at Sheldon with a shocked facial expression.

"What has happened?" Howard asked.

Sheldon began to explain the situation. It didn't take long and Amy and Bernadette started to tear up, while Howard and Raj just stand there in shock.

"But there's still hope. If the pilots accomplished an emergency water landing, with the plane remaining intact, the crew and passengers, including Leonard, certainly made it into a liferaft," Sheldon finished. "Let's think positive."

"Have you told this Penny?" Amy wanted to know.

"She doesn't want to talk to me," Sheldon replied.

"I'll go over to Penny's place and talk to her," Bernadette said.

"I go with you," Amy insisted. "We have to take care of her."

* * *

Bernadette and Amy went over to apartment 4B. Bernadette repeatedly knocked on Penny's door, but there was no answer. They looked at each other and shrugged. Amy tried the door knob. It was open. Slowly they entered the apartment and looked around. Penny was nowhere to be seen.

They went to the bedroom and there she was, laying on her bed, sleeping. Bernadette sat down on the bed next to Penny and stroked her hair, which caused Penny to wake up. She slowly opened her eyes, that still showed signs she had cried a lot.

"Oh, Bernadette," Penny said with a drowsy voice. She looked up and saw Amy standing behind Bernadette. "Hi Ames."

"How do you feel?" Bernadette asked.

Penny sat up and looked at Bernadette with pleading eyes. "I want Leonard back," she answered almost in a whisper.

The sadness and desperation Bernadette saw in Penny's eyes was heartbreaking. "Oh, sweetheart. I know. You'll get him back," she tried to comfort her teary-eyed, engulfing her in a hug.

"The search and rescue teams will leave nothing undone to find him and all the others from the plane," Amy said in a soothing voice, sitting down on the bed too. "I'm sure the pilot has accomplished a safe emergency water landing, so all could get on a lifecraft. So now, it's just a matter of time before they will be found."

Penny nodded, a little bit of hope coming back.

"Do you think so?" Penny asked, sounding like a child.

"Yes, absolutely," Bernadette and Amy replied in unison.

"C'mon, let's get you into the bathroom and clean your face," Bernadette said and took Penny's hand. "And then we will all have dinner together. Okay?"

"Okay," Penny said and got up from the bed.

* * *

It was nine o'clock in the evening in Pasadena. The plane with Leonard on board had disappeared more than seven hours earlier. Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette, Raj and Penny sat in the living room of 4A, waiting for new information about the whereabouts of Leonard. While Penny had a little hope again, after Bernadette and Amy talked with her, she was still extremely tense because of the uncertainty of Leonard's fate. She barely touched her food and bareley spoke a work. Her friends, who were also very tense and worried about Leonard, tried their best to calm and comfort Penny and to give her hope.

It was ten o'clock when the apartment phone rang, startling them all. Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, they all looked at the telephone. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity Sheldon took it. "It's Leonard's mother," he said.

Accepting the call, all eyes were directed at him in an anxious tension.

Sheldon's face didn't reveal any emotions, while he carefully listened to the words of Beverly Hofstadter. The call ended after three minutes. All looked at him expectantly, except Penny, who looked at the floor, blank despair starting to come over her. Looking up, Sheldon's blank face told her, there were no good news waiting for her.

"They found a liferaft an hour ago. With the exception of one person all of the passengers and the crew were on it and all of them are alive," Sheldon said.

"With the exception of one?" Howard asked.

Sheldon lowered his head. "Leonard wasn't on the liferaft." Then he looked at Penny. "I'm so sorry."

Everything around Penny started to spin. She felt dizzy and suddenly darkness overpowered her, as she passed out.

* * *

Leonard had spent more than 24 hours in the liferaft when he came to himself for a second time. The sea around him was almost glassy. The sky was clear, except for some far-away cumulus clouds on the horizon. It must be around noon. Since his watch was broken he had to guess the time of the day by the position of the sun. The sun was high in the sky and burned down on him mercilessly. After fully becoming conscious again, he slowly realized his situation. He was all alone out on the ocean. Panic overcame him and he began to scream for help. But no one was there, nobody could hear him, other than a few seabirds circling in the air above him.

At first he didn't recognize the object at the horizon in front of him, which suddenly caught his eye. Miraculously he hadn't lost his glasses during all the chaos, so he focused on the object, that flickered in the heat. He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. But it was real. It was an island.

Leonard saw paddles attached to the rim of the liferaft. He took one and began to paddle into the direction of the island, which was approximately a quarter of a mile away. Using the last of his strength he somehow managed to reach the surge, which washed the liferaft with him ashore. Completely winded, because of the unusual physical effort, he was about to get an asthma attack. _Great, I survive an emergency water landing, manage to reach an island, and then I die because of an asthma attack._ Gasping for breath, he realized he still wore his shoulder bag under the life jacket. Quickly removing the life jacket, he reached inside the bag and found an inhaler. Fortunately it was still working and after taking two puffs he rapidly recovered his breath. He turned on the back and threw his hands up in front of his face.

After a few minutes he climed out of the deflated liferaft which was unfortunately cut open by sharp stones, poking out of the shallow water, when he was washed ashore. He looked around to survey the surrounding. What he saw was a palm-fringed beach, which consisted of fine white sand. In combination with the blue sky and the crystal clear turquoise water of the sea it was like an epitome of a beautiful island in the South Seas. It looked like a cliché, almost surreal. If this island was inhabited he was saved. Then he thought of his phone. He looked into his shoulder bag, but it wasn't there. Then it crossed his mind. He took a photo of the cabin and laid the phone on the table in front of him. "Damn! Damn! Damn!" he screamed. Despair threatened to overcame him, but he managed to calm himself down. There was still the possibility, the island was inhabited and surely a search for the lost plane and its passengers had been initiated.

He pulled the liferaft higher up the beach and sat down in the sand. Shaking his head unbelievingly because of the situation he was in, he just stared out on the sea. _Just sitting around won't help me_ , he eventually thought after a few minutes, got up and started to walk to explore the island. Sand, palms and rocks seemed to be everthing that existed here. After an hour and a half he had surrounded the island and was back at his starting point. He had seen some small lagoons, that were fed by streamlets coming from the inside of the island, so he had at least fresh water, but there were no signs of human life. This island was definitely uninhabited. All he could do was waiting. But how long? If he just had his phone with him. Slowly all hope disappeared and despair came back with a vengeance. Maybe they would never find him. How could he survive, alone on this godforsaken island in the South Pacific? His thoughts returned to Penny. _Penny, I miss you. Penny..._ He sank down on his knees and started to cry. He wanted to be home. He wanted to be with Penny.

* * *

Leonard didn't know how long he had cried, but eventually it had stopped. He slowly got up and walked towards the forest of palms and other tropical plants that grew on the island. Sitting down in the shadow of a palm tree, where he had put down the now functionless liferaft, he emptied the content of his shoulder bag onto the fine white sand in front of him. There was a swiss army knife, which could surely be helpful, some inhalers, medicines in a plastic bag, a wallet with all his identification paper, drenched notebooks and and a water bottle. Again he regretted not having his phone. If he only had his phone. Looking at all the items scattered before him, that were all in a pretty good condition he thought his phone would probably be okay. Of course there was the possibilty that he wouldn't have a signal. But his phone wasn't here, so all this thoughts were moot. Usually he also would have had his laptop in the bag, but it was in one of his suitcases. If he had it with him it most likely would have been out of order anyway. No matter how he looked at it, he had no possibility to communicate. He could only hope a search and rescue team would find him.

When he put all the things back into his shoulder bag again, something fell out of his wallet into the sand. He carefully picked it up and looked at it. It was a ring. His engagement ring for Penny. Looking at the shiny piece of jewelry, an extreme sadness overcame him. _Will I ever be able to put this ring on her finger?_ _Will I ever see her again? Will she forget me after a while and move on?_ Tears welled up in his eyes. "I love you Penny. I love you forever. Until the end of time," he whispered and kissed the ring.

He looked at the ring for some time, with teardrops dripping down his chin every so often, before he carefully put it back into the wallet. Getting up again, he swung the strap of the bag over his shoulder and started to walk into the forest. He needed a place to sleep. Darkness would set in quite rapidly in this tropical latitude.

* * *

After walking in the forest for some time, he returned to the beach, where he found a cave in a huge rock formation. Its entrance pointed to the island's interior, so he was somewhat sheltered from bad weather. The ground inside the cave was dry and covered with fine white sand. He had leaned his shoulder bag against the cave wall with the water bottle standing on a first aid box from the liferaft. For a while he just sat inside the cave and thought about Penny. All he could think about was Penny. He didn't want to accept a fate, that could mean to be trapped on an island for the rest of his life, apart from his friends and most importantly, apart from Penny.

His further destiny was dependant on the search and rescue teams that were surely out there to find him, but he could also actively do something to make it easier to be found. He got up and collected dry branches from the beach and withered grass from the wood near the cave. With help of his glasses, that served as a burning lens, and some pieces of paper, Leonard actually managed to make a fire on the beach near the cave. With all the wood he had collected the fire was actually pretty big. He hoped it could be a signal, that could be seen from planes searching for him.

Then he dig deep gouges in the form of the letters H, E, L and P into the sand, filling them with dark material like leaves and tree bark to achieve a high contrast against the white sand. He hoped the letters could be seen from a search plane as well, in addition to the fire.

Looking at the fire, he thought of Doctor Williams, Mandy Chow and the young stewardess, whose name he couldn't remember. He hoped they had survived. The setting sun turned the sky into a glowing painting of colours from cyan blues to reds, orange and purple. Actually it was beautiful, but of course Leonard couldn't savor this natural spectacle as his thoughts had returned to Penny. An overwhelming yearning for his girlfriend overcame him.

An hour after darkness had fallen over the island, Leonard went to the cave, making a second fire at the entrance with collected wood and a torch he had lit at the fire on the beach. Still thinking of Penny, he lay down on the sand in the cave. Resting his head on the shoulder bag, that served as a pillow, it didn't take long until he fell into a deep sleep.

What Leonard couldn't know as he spent his first night on the island was, that as a result of the storm his liferaft was not only separated from the other one, but also caught by a strong ocean current, that freighted him into an area of the ocean that was far outside the search radius, even the extended search radius.

 **To be continued...**

 **A/N: I was inspired to write this story after seeing the Robert Zemeckis film "Cast Away", starring Tom Hanks a few months ago.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews. I love to read them. They are my incentive to keep writing this story.**

 **While I usually map out chapters in advance, I'm always thankful for the inspiration your reviews give me. Ideas, hints or suggestions I read there will find the way into the story every so often.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 3

Penny lay on the couch in 4A when she came around again. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around, seeing the worried faces of her friends. "What happened? Why am I lying here on the couch?"

Then she remembered Sheldon's words. "Leonard? They haven't found Leonard?" she asked with a voice that sounded like a little child.

Seeing Penny like this was heartbreaking and hard to bear. Tears welled up in Amy and Bernadette's eyes, and the guys all had a lump in their throat.

Penny looked around from one to another, a pleading look in her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Bernadette kneeled down beside Penny and took a hand into hers. "Penny, sweetheart, there's still hope. The search and rescue teams will continue to look for Leonard. They will definitely do everything in their power to find him."

"There's still hope? Leonard could be still alive?" Penny asked, again sounding like a child, the pleading in her eyes growing stronger.

Bernadette wanted to say something, but Sheldon began to speak first. "Yes, there's still hope. Beverly told me Leonard was on a liferaft with three other persons, who went overboard, but where rescued by the occupants of a second liferaft. Leonard was definitely still on the liferaft, when the others went overboard. Those liferafts are very solid and can easily withstand a storm like the one that caused the emergency water landing. I'm sure, as we speak here, he's either still on the liferaft drifting on the sea or washed ashore somewhere."

Penny nodded and sat up on the sofa. Bernadette, who was still kneeling on the floor, got up and sat beside Penny, engulfing her in a hug. She hold her for several minutes until Penny finally stood up from the sofa. "I'm tired," she said. "I want to go to bed."

She wiped the tears on her face away and tried to compose herself. "I really need more sleep. I have the morning shift at the Cheesecake Factory tomorrow."

"You wanna go to work?" Amy asked.

"Sure. If I sit around in my apartment I will permanently think of Leonard. I need distraction." Penny answered and walked to the door.

They all gave Penny a sympathetic smile.

"We all will be there for you, when you need us," Howard said.

Standing at the door, Penny smiled back at her friends. "I know. Thanks."

"And don't forget. There's still hope. They will find Leonard," Amy said and walked over to Penny, patting her back.

Penny nodded, a small smile forming on her face. "Hope dies last, right?" She opened the door and left the apartment.

* * *

Although Penny was very tired, it took almost an hour to fall asleep. Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, she was preoccupied with Leonard. _Please, let him be alive. Please let him return to me. I'm lost without you. I need you._ These thoughts were on a continuous loop in her mind. When she finally fell asleep she immediately started to dream of Leonard. It started with beautiful dreams of them being just together, holding on to each other, kissing and cuddling. But it didn't take long until the dreams became darker and more disturbing. Shortly before the alarm on her phone would have woken her anyway, a particular sinister dream let her awake with a start. A suppressed scream escaped her mouth. "Leonard!" Cold sweat was running down her face, her heart raced and she breathed laboredly. She reached out her hand to the left side of her bed, where Leonard used to sleep. "Leonard, please hold me. I had a bad dream." But she grasped at nothing. Only now she realized that he wasn't there. Then it hit her like a hammer. Leonard was missing. Maybe he would never return to her. Maybe she would never see him again. These thoughts made her stomach turn. She jumped out of her bed and ran to the bathroom to throw up.

Two hours later she was in the Cheesecake factory. But her thoughts were not with her work, they were still with Leonard. All the time she had to think of this dream that woke her with a start earlier this morning.

In this dream she saw Leonard standing on the edge of a cliff above the roaring waves of an ocean. An approaching thunderstorm completing the sinister scenery and ominous atmosphere. She walked towards Leonard who smiled at her. Shortly before she arrived him, she reached out her hand and Leonard was about to take it, when suddenly an invisible force hurled him down the cliff. Screaming and his eyes wide opened in horror he fell into a blood red sea, that devoured him like a ravenous monster. It was this horrid scream from Leonard that woke Penny up and echoed in her ears.

Somehow she managed to pull herself together and accomplished her work. She tried her best to be friendly to all diners, and was putting up a brave front. But as soon as she was home in the solitude of her apartment her thoughts were entirely with Leonard again. The uncertainty of not knowing what has happened to Leonard, if he was still alive or not was hard to take.

Penny was torn out of her thoughts, when her phone suddenly rang. It came so unexpected, it really startled her. Seeing it was Beverly, hope returned for a moment, but in the same moment also an undescribable fear seized hold of her. Maybe they have found Leonard, maybe they have just found an empty liferaft, or maybe they have found him dead. As it turned out Beverly called Penny to apologize for only informing Sheldon and not the girlfriend of his son too, the day before. There was no new information. While Penny listened carefully to the mother of her boyfriend, she could recognize hints of emotion in her voice. Was she caring for her son after all? The call ended with Beverly's promise to inform Penny at once, if she had any new information about the whereabouts of Leonard.

After the phone call ended Penny sat on her couch, a vacant expression on her face. _Leonard, where are you? Please come back to me._ It didn't take long, and sadness and despair overcame her at full tilt. She went to her bedroom, lay down on her bed and cried. This terrible uncertainty if Leonard was still alive ate her up. And she blamed herself for all this. She had the opportunity to keep him here, but she let him go. If he wasn't alive anymore, then she had sent him to death.

The crying exhausted her and so it didn't take long she fell asleep after a while. Waking up late in the evening, she more or less forced herself to eat something, although she didn't feel any hunger at all. After finishing a modest meal she returned to bed, only to found herself unable to fall asleep. As soon as she eventually drifted off to sleep the dreams of Leonard began to set in again. And like the day before this particular sinister nightmare haunted her at the break of day. Again she was woken by Leonard's horrid scream, that resounded in her ears, when he fell off that cliff.

A grueling morning shift at the Cheesecake factory followed. At home again the day continued with crying, sleeping and eating and ended with sleeping, dreams and nightmares. This circle repeated itself for the next ten days. Penny felt as if she was trapped in a time loop.

And all the while there was absolutely no new information about the whereabouts of Leonard. The search and rescue teams expanded their search area, but Leonard stayed vanished without a trace.

During this time Penny also began to seclude herself more and more from the world. Her everyday communication with others only consisted in occasional text messages or perfunctory greetings when she ran across somebody she knew. When Sheldon knocked at her door she didn't answer and phone calls were ignored as well, if they didn't come from one of her close friends or Beverly. Even Amy and Bernadette weren't able to bring her out of her isolation. Every invitation to have dinner at 4A was declined. Penny completely sealed herself off from her friends and everyone else.

* * *

The first night on the island was terrible for Leonard. While he fell asleep pretty fast, he woke up in the early morning hours and wasn't able to go back to sleep again for some time. Lying awake in the cave, whose interior was dimly lit by the fire he made at the entrance, all his thoughts immediately began to revolve around Penny. Only when the first rays of the rising sun reached the cave, he had fallen asleep again.

When Leonard woke up, the sun was high in the sky. He slowly got up and walked out of the cave, passing the fire that had gone out in the meantime. The fire on the beach was still burning. He throw some dry branches in it to keep it alive.

Looking at the forest of palm trees and other tropical plants, he decided to explore the interior of the island. Besides he had to refill his water bottle. The island wasn't too densely forested, so it was no big problem to range the forest. Also, the island was relatively flat, except for a few rocks and some small hills, so he had no mountains to climb. After walking through the forest for ten minutes, he stood at the edge of an almost circular pond, that had a diameter of approximately twenty feet. He could also see a small streamlet leaving the pond, that most likely led to one of the lagoons he saw the day before. In the area where the streamlet left the pond, there was a beach-like sand bar, while the remaining boundary of the small body of water consisted of a low embankment.

Leonard crouched down at the edge of the pond and refilled his water bottle. Looking closer at the crystal clear waters he saw fish swimming inside. Many fish. _Okay, this is a potential source of food, as soon as I have learned how to catch them._

But for the time being he decided to live on coconuts, that lay around all over the island. It was certainly easier to reach the inside of a coconut, than to catch a fish. He got up and walked to the streamlet and followed its course. Like he presumed the small stream lead to a lagoon, that was separated from the sea by a narrow shoal. His footprints on the shoal, when he surrounded the island the day before, were still to be seen. Inside the lagoon, that shone in a brilliant shade of turquoise, many more fish bustled around. As he looked at the lagoon and all the fish inside, the sun began to burn on his head. It got really unpleasant, so he took off his shirt and wrapped it around his head like a turban. With his new sun protection on his head, Leonard walked along the beach, back to his cave.

In the immediate vicinity of his cave he collected some coconuts and tried to open them. By the help of his swiss army knife and some stones with sharp edges he eventually managed to open the fruits after some unsuccessful attempts, so he could drink the sweetish, almost clear liquid inside.

Sitting in the shadow of a rock at the beach, eating the pulp of coconuts, he looked out at the ocean. Deep in thought he wondered if he would ever be found, or if would spent the rest of his life on this island.

* * *

For ten days Leonard was missing now. In those ten days the search and rescue teams hadn't found a single trace of him, although the search area around the location where the emergency water landing took place had been expanded ever further, but unfortunately they didn't take strong ocean currents into account. On the eleventh day the authorities of the Cook Islands and French Polynesia decided to abort the search. Leonard officially was still considered as missing.

As long as the search for Leonard continued, Penny had a glimmer of hope, despite all the despair and sadness. But now that the search for him was officially aborted, the authorities more or less gave up on him. For Penny it felt like he had been pronounced dead. But she wouldn't accept this, she wouldn't gave up on him. Never.

* * *

Two weeks after Leonard had disappeared, Penny couldn't bear the feeling of being trapped in a time loop anymore. Especially the ongoing nightmares got to her. Every morning she started up from her sleep, bathed in cold sweat, with a racing heart and with Leonard's horrid scream resounding in her ears. She needed to escape from this trap.

Much to Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj's surprise Penny appeared in apartment 4A during dinner.

"Hi Penny," they all greeted her, when she entered the apartment.

Penny waved. "Hi guys," she said with a small smile.

"We have hardly seen you the last two weeks. Do you want to have dinner with us? We have plenty of food left. I can warm it for you," Amy suggested.

Penny declined the offer with thanks. "No, thanks, Ames. That's very kind of you, but I already had something to eat."

Seeing Leonard's empty armchair, Penny immediately became upset, which didn't go unnoticed to the others.

"Penny, we're all so sorry," Raj said.

Penny nodded and cleared her throat. "Umm...I have to tell you something."

Her friends looked at her with worried expressions in their faces.

Taking a deep breath, Penny continued to speak. "I will leave Pasadena. I will return to Nebraska."

Protest was raising. "No, Penny. Please don't leave us," Amy begged. "What about your acting career, or your history classes?"

Penny sighed. "What acting career?"

"You were so wonderful in 'A Streetcar Named Desire'," Bernadette interposed.

"Please, stay with us," Sheldon began to speak. "We can start our own search for Leonard, together as a team."

"Yes, I could hack satellites, so we can observe every uninhabited island in the region," Howard proposed. "It would certainly cost a lot of time, but I think it would be manageable. Please don't go."

"We have lost Leonard," Bernadette blurted out. "We don't want to lose you too."

We have lost Leonard. These words caused Penny to break out in tears.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Sorry, Penny." Bernadette got up and engulfed her in a hug. Penny started to sob into her shoulder. Stroking Penny's hair to soothe her, it took a while before the sobbing decreased and changed into a soft crying.

When Penny had composed herself, she started to explain her reasons to leave. "I can't stay here in Pasadena," she spoke in a shaking voice. "Everything here reminds me of Leonard and that he's not here. I can't bear this anymore. It eats me up. Please understand. I need to find my inner peace again. I can't do this here. But no matter where I am, I won't give up on him. Never. And I hope you neither."

Seeing the sad faces of her friends, she paused for a few moments before she continued. "I already arranged everything that's necessary and I already spoke with my parents. Maybe I will return someday, but for now I have to leave. I will stay in contact with you."

Penny looked at Sheldon. "Tomorrow I will give the landlord the key to my apartment, and in the coming days a moving company will bring my stuff and my furniture into a storage. From there it will be shipped to Omaha. This will probably cause a lot of commotion. Just so you know."

Then she turned to Howard. "Please try what you said about the satellites, and let me know if you find out something."

"Is there really nothing we can do, so you stay here?" Amy asked.

"I need this, Amy. I promise I will keep in touch with all of you," Penny replied, tears welling up in her eyes again.

"God, we will all terribly miss you. It's not the same without you," Bernadette said in a voice that indicated she was on the verge of tears too. "And without Leonard," she added, lowering her head.

"I will miss all of you too. So much." Tears were now rolling down Penny's face. "And yes, Bernadette. That's right. It's not the same without Leonard. And without Leonard I can't cope with my life here."

She hugged one by one. Everyone was teary-eyed. They all knew, nothing would be as it was before. Without Leonard and without Penny the heart of their group was missing. A final pleading look by Amy and Bernadette caused Penny to sob again. But she had made a decision. There was no turning back.

She walked to the door and was about to leave the apartment, but she turned around again to face her friends one last time before she opened the door. "Thank you all for being my friends," she said amid tears. "Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette, Raj. We'll all meet again. I promise. Bye." The door was opened and Penny walked out.

 **To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews. You guys are the best.**

 **Here's the fourth chapter. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 4

Penny was standing at the window in her old room, looking at the fields that were spreading before her. For one week now she was back in her parent's house. For her mother Susan and her father Wyatt it was a matter of course to welcome their daughter back. They hoped Penny's teenage and childhood home would help her to find inner peace again, in a time that must be horrible and unbearable for her.

It was a very hot day in June. The humid afternoon heat let mighty cumulus clouds skyrocket, and in the distance the rolling thunder of an approaching storm could already be heard. Penny closed the window, walked towards her bed and sat down. The monotone purr of a table fan was the only sound in the room. Opening the drawer of her nightstand, she took a little red bag out of it and looked at its content. It was the snowflake Leonard gave her, when he came back from the North Pole almost four years ago. She couldn't remember in what kind of solution it was preserved, but she still knew like yesterday, when Leonard told her. It was the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her that she didn't understand. And she knew the snowflake will last forever. Looking at this wonderful gift which brought back so many memories of happy times caused tears to well up in her eyes.

"Leonard, wherever you are. Like this snowflake will last forever, my love for you will last forever," she whispered.

Penny kissed the snowflake and sticked it cautiously back into the little bag, which she put back into the drawer of her nightstand.

"Penny, sweetheart," she could hear her mother calling from the hall downstairs. "I'm back from the supermarket and I have ice cream. Would you like some of it?"

"Yes, mom," Penny answered. She blinked away the tears, got up from the bed and walked down the stairs to the kitchen.

Penny took a seat at the kitchen table, while her mother served her a bowl of ice cream together with a spoon. "Thanks, mom."

Susan smiled at Penny and with a bowl of ice for herself, she sat down at the table too. She looked at her daughter, seeing the slightly reddened eyes. Knowing the cause for this and not wanting to upset her, she intended to avoid any talking about Leonard. "Do you remember our neighbor Mrs. Blake?" she asked her daughter.

Penny, who just took a spoonful of ice cream, looked up and nodded.

"Well, I met her at the supermarket, and I told her you are here again for a week now. While we were talking she asked me, if you had a job. I said no, so she approached me for asking you, if you are interested to work as groom on her stud farm. She remembered you love horses." Susan paused for a moment to take a spoonful of ice cream too, before continuing to speak. "Oh, if you are interested you can begin at any time you want. Just give her a call."

For the first time since Penny was back home, Susan could see a smile on her daughter's face.

"That sounds great. I am definitely interested."

"Alright, I will give you her phone number."

They continued eating their ice cream, while outside the increasing volume of the rolling thunder revealed that the storm was coming nearer.

"Have you seen your father," Susan asked.

"Yes," Penny replied. "He's in the barn, mending the tractor."

Suddenly an extremely loud thunderclap of a lightning stroke in close vicinity to the farm house let the two women start with fright.

"Wow, that was close," Susan said and put her hand on her chest. "I almost got a heart attack."

The storm that was nearing the farm reminded Penny of the cause that led to the emergency landing of Leonard's plane.

Penny gazed at the kitchen window, looking at the dark clouds of the approaching storm. "It was a thunderstorm."

Susan had a questioning look on her face. "What do you mean?"

"A thunderstorm, mom," Penny answered and looked at her mother. "It was a thunderstorm that got Leonard's plane in trouble. But this would never have had to happen if I had prevented him from going on this trip. Whatever happened to Leonard, it's my fault."

Susan reached over the table and took Penny's hand. "No, sweetheart. You must not think like that. Please, don't blame yourself."

Penny tried to blink the tears away the welled up in her eyes once more, but she couldn't prevent some of them rolling down her cheeks. "Mom, I miss him so much," she croaked out, letting the tears freely roll now.

Getting up from her chair, Susan quickly walked over to Penny and hugged her. "I know, sweetheart. I know." She stroke Penny's hair, trying to comfort her.

Leaning her head against her mother's shoulder, Penny began to calm down after a few minutes. Her thoughts with Leonard all the while. _Please be safe, Leonard. Wherever you are._

* * *

At the same time, when Penny and her mother sat at the kitchen table, eating ice cream, Leonard stood in the lagoon and tried to catch a fish. After three weeks on the island he was fed up with coconuts. Since he had nothing that could serve as a boulter, let alone a bait, building a fishing rod wasn't an option. So he took a long, thin bamboo cane and carved one end to a really sharp pike with his swiss army knife. He was quite proud of his spear. The fish hunt could begin.

Holding his spear, ready to stab out, he observed the lagoon and waited for a big, careless fish. "Come on, my dear fish. I'm hungry." Suddenly a big fish, that gleamed like silver came into range. _You're mine_ , he thought and stabbed out, missing the fish by far. His second attempt didn't go off better. Again he failed miserably. But with his third try he actually hit a fish. And it was a really big one.

"Ha! All good things come in threes," Leonard shouted triumphantly.

Like a trophy he carried the spear with the fish out of the water and raised it. "I'm Leonard, the fish hunter!"

He walked back to his cave, where the fire he had ignited three weeks ago was still burning. He fried the fish on a wooden stick, and savored the meal, that was the most delicious fish he ever had in his life. But even the best fish he ever had could not take away the pain of missing Penny.

* * *

A whole month had passed since Leonard's disappearance. In Pasadena Howard had tried to get access to satellites, which could have been useful for the observation of areas of the ocean where he presumed Leonard, since the day Penny left. He had spent hours and hours to get access, using all his technical skills, but to no avail. Frustrated and angry with himself he had to give up for now.

Penny, who had accepted the job as a groom in the stud farm a few days earlier, stood in a stable and fed a horse, when she got a text message from Howard, in which he explained that his attempts to get access to satellites were unsuccessful. She was bitterly disappointed. After the termination of the search by the local authorities and Howard's failure, Leonard was now really on his own. All she could do now was hoping that Leonard would find a way himself to come back. She was absolutely convinced that he was still alive. She would never give up this firm belief. And no matter how long it would take, she would wait for him.

* * *

 _Thirty-one days._ Leonard looked at the calendar that he had made on the wall inside his cave. Since the day he was on this island, he kept a precise calendar. He knew the day when the plane had to make an emergency landing on the sea. But he didn't know how long he had drifted unconscious inside the liferaft on the sea. He had added one full day, thinking this was about right. For every new day that had begun, he draw a line on the wall of the cave with a charred branch. _It's end of June_ , he thought. _How many more June's do I have to endure on this island?_ He put the branch away and scratched the skin beneath his beard. It was fishing time again. He took his spear, left his cave and walked in the direction of the lagoon.

Twenty minutes later Leonard stood in the lagoon with his shirt as headgear. With his pants cut off below the knees, his curly hair that showed beneath the shirt turban and the wild beard, he looked like the embodiment of a castaway on an uncharted island.  
Waiting for a fish, that would come near enough so he could catch it, he suddenly heard a sound. He lifted his head and listened carefully. It was a soft hum and it was almost drowned out by the sound of the sea, but it was clearly distinguishable from it. When the sound came nearer and got slightly louder, Leonard realized what it was. It was the sound of a plane. He scanned the blue sky in all directions.

And there it was. It was a plane, too high to be a search plane but not high enough to be an commercial airliner.

"Oh my god, there's a flare gun in the first aid box in my cave."

He dropped his spear and ran back to his cave as fast as he could, all the while screaming and waving fiercly with his arms. As the plane relentlessly moved on, he desperately hoped the pilots or the passengers had noticed him or at least the fire that was burning at the beach near the cave. When he arrived the cave, he had to take a few puffs from his inhaler first, to prevent an asthma attack. Then he ran into the cave, opened the first aid box and took out the flare gun. Running back to the beach, he couldn't see the plane anymore, but he could still hear it. He fired the gun and hoped it wasn't a wasted shot. The red glowing flare ascended into the sky, described a parabola and then rushed back into the sea.

He sank down on his knees. "Please, oh my god, please. Please, let them have taken notice of me." He cursed himself for not having the flare gun always with him. Who looks backwards in a plane? At the lagoon he had been at a way better position. Meanwhile the sound of the plane got quieter and quieter until only the sound of the sea could be heard again.

* * *

Three days had passed since Leonard had seen the plane and fired the flare gun. No one came to his rescue. Neither the pilots nor the passengers had noticed the red glowing flare, the fire on the beach, the letters in the sand or the liferaft, this bright orange spot stretched on the rocks near his cave, let alone him.

He lay in his cave and was more desperate than ever. Now he was convinced that he had to stay on this godforsaken island for the rest of his life. _Why didn't they notice me? Are pilots of a plane bound to look only at the sky in front and above of them? Obviously it's a waste of time to look down on a speck of land._ He would never see Penny again. She would move on. She would forget him. Probably he would be pronounced dead anytime soon.

* * *

While Leonard lay in his cave on the island, Penny stood in the stable of the stud farm and prepared the food for the horses. She picked hay with a pitchfork and laded a wheelbarrow with it.

Penny was about to cart the hay away, when she heard a voice behind her that she hadn't heard for many years.

"Penny? Is that you?"

Penny turned around and looked into the face of Valerie Mossbacher, her old High School rival. "Oh! Hi, Valerie."

Valerie had a condescending smile on her face. "Well, well, well! You really came a long way. I guess the big Hollywood career didn't work out. Has Kurt dumped you?"

Penny glared at Valerie. "Kurt is history. And it was me, who dumped him. Almost six years ago. He's a cheating asshole." She was getting really upset now and started to yell. "And yes, my big Hollywood career didn't work out. But that's not the reason I'm back in Nebraska."

Seeing tears welling up in Penny's eyes, Valerie reached out her hands and tried to calm her down. "Penny, I don't wanna fight with you. Really. I know we were on bad terms with each other in our last year in High School because of this Head Cheerleader thing. But the past is the past. It wasn't my intention to upset you. I'm sorry for my condescending tone. In fact, I'm happy to see you again after all these years."

Penny quickly calmed down. "You know, it's a very difficult time for me right now," she said in a soft voice.

Valerie smiled at Penny. "May I ask what happened? You don't have to answer, if it's too personal or if it upsets you."

"It's okay," Penny replied and began to tell Valerie everything about Leonard, his research trip to the South Pacific, that he is missing and why she had to come back to Nebraska.

Valerie had tears in her eyes, when Penny had finished. "I'm so sorry about your boyfriend. Leonard must be a great guy."

"He's the best."

Valerie nodded. "I can't imagine the emotional ordeal you must be going through. I admire you for being so strong."

Penny had a small smile on her lips. "Thanks Valerie. I try my best. I have to be strong. For Leonard." She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "And now tell me. What are you doing here?"

"My boyfriend is the facility manager here," Valerie answered. "I bring him takeout from the restaurant, where I work as a waitress. It's for his lunch break" She held up a paper bag, that looked quite greasy.

"Is he someone I know?" Penny asked, a little bit curious if she was with someone she knew from her High School days.

"No, I don't think so," Valerie replied. "He's from Minnesota and moved to Omaha only two years ago."

They continued to talk with each other for a few minutes, mainly small talk about this and that.

"Okay," Valerie smiled. "I don't want to stop you from doing your work." She laid a hand on Penny's lower arm and continued to speak in a more serious tone. "I hope they will find Leonard, so he can return to you. I really do."

"Thanks, Valerie."

"Maybe we can talk again some day. Bye, Penny."

"Bye, Valerie."

While Valerie went to her boyfriend to give him the takeout, Penny took the handles of the wheelbarrow and went to the horses to give them their hay.

* * *

The next morning Penny woke up with a feeling of nausea. She sat up and took a deep breath. "Great, I have caught something." Slowly getting out of bed, Penny suddenly felt the urge to vomit. Running into her bathroom, she managed to fold up the toilet lid just in time and threw up.

Exactly the same happened the following morning and the morning after that. And it happened always at the same time. One could almost set the clock to that.

After the third round of daily vomiting in the morning, Penny decided to visit a doctor, hoping to get a prescription for a medicine against what she thought was a viral infection. She was lucky and got a doctor's appointment for the same day.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, after phoning in sick, Penny sat at the kitchen table with her mother, both drinking a cup of tea.

"I can't believe Doctor Miller is still practising," Penny said and took a sip of tea. "She was already our family doctor when I was a little child. How old is she?"

"Hmm, let me think. She's 63 or 64," Susan answered. "She'll be happy to see you again. But why do you need to go to a doctor anyway?"

"I think I have caught a viral infection," Penny replied.

Susan nodded, not asking for specific symptoms. "When is your appointment?"

"Ten o'clock. I was lucky to get an appointment so early." Penny said. "While I'm in town, is there anything I can bring from the supermarket or from elsewhere?"

Susan got up and looked into the kitchen cabinet. "We're out of sugar and flour. I'd like to bake a cake in the afternoon."

"Okay, I will bring it."

* * *

Twenty minutes later Penny was on her way to Doctor Miller. After sitting in the waiting room for ten minutes she was called into the doctor's office. Doctor Miller was very happy to see Penny again after so many years and greeted her heartily. After a little small talk, Penny began to describe her symptoms.

"And it's always at the same time in the morning?" Doctor Miller asked.

Penny nodded. "Yes, it's amazingly regular."

"Okay." Doctor Miller wrote something in her notepad. Then she looked at Penny again over the rim of her glasses. "May I ask when you had your last menstruation?"

Penny thought about it. _Two weeks ago. No...stop. There was none._ Then it hit her. "Oh my god. I'm pregnant," she exclaimed with wide opened eyes.

Doctor Miller smiled. "Well, Penny, what you described here, are the classic symptoms of morning sickness. These symptoms typically occur between the 4th and 16th week of pregnancy. I will make a complete checkup to rule out any diseases. Then I will take a sample of blood, so I can conduct a quantitative blood pregnancy test to determine the exact amount of the pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin in your blood. This will allow us to make a very clear determination about whether you are pregnant or not.

It took Penny a few moments to find words again. "How long will it take to get a result?"

"After 48 hours, we should have a result. In addition you can of course get a home pregnancy test, but they are not as accurate as blood pregnancy tests," Doctor Miller answered.

* * *

Lying in her bed in the evening later that day, Penny thought about the consequences of being pregnant. _If I become a mother, and it's really really quite likely, Leonard could become a father, and maybe he will never learn of it._ These thoughts made Penny incredibly sad. More than ever she hoped Leonard would come back to her and their baby that most probably grew inside of her.

* * *

For the next two days Penny was on pins and needles, while she waited for the results from the blood pregnancy test. Her morning sickness continued, and everything pointed towards a pregnancy.

She didn't get a home pregnancy test, as she wanted one-hundred percent certainty. She also told no one of the test and that she might be pregnant. When her mother asked Penny about her visit at Doctor Miller, she just said everything was fine.

Two days after her first visit at Doctor Miller, she sat in the doctor's office again, waiting for the test results.

Penny expectantly looked at the woman in the white coat behind the desk.

Doctor Miller smiled. "I don't want to keep you on tenterhooks any longer. The results are clear. You are expecting Penny. Congratulations."

 **To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews. They make my day. Here's the fifth chapter. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 5

It was six o'clock in the evening when Penny came home from Doctor Miller. She parked her father's pickup next to the farm house and walked to the porch, where she sat down on the swing that was there since she could remember. Through the open window behind her she could her that someone was busy in the kitchen. She got up and went into the house. Entering the kitchen, she saw her mother preparing the dinner.

"Hi, mom. Where's daddy?"

Susan turned around and was about to answer, when Penny's father came through the back door and entered the kitchen.

"Hey slugger. Here I am," he grinned broadly and gave his daughter a kiss on her head.

Penny giggled. "Eww, daddy. You smell like an old greasy machine."

Wyatt walked over to the fridge and took a beer bottle out of it. "Because I was in a barn for the last two hours, still trying to mend this damn tractor," he winked. "Were you looking for me?"

"Actually I wanted to see both of you," Penny smiled. "Please have a seat. I have to tell you something."

Wyatt put his beer on the kitchen table and sat down, while his wife interrupted her dinner preparations and sat down as well. Both looked at Penny with a little concern in their faces.

Penny took a deep breath and went straight to the point. "Mom, Dad. I'm pregnant. I'm expecting Leonard's child."

Her parent's jaws dropped. They looked at each other for a moment, before looking at their daughter again.

"And that's one-hundred percent sure?" her mother asked.

Penny nodded. "Yes, mom. it's one-hundred percent sure. I went to the doctor, because I thought it had a viral infection. But it's morning sickness. Doctor Miller conducted a blood pregnancy test and its result was clear. I'm pregnant."

"Are you going to get the baby?" Wyatt blurted out without much thinking, immediately regretting his question.

Penny was utterly shocked. "How can you ask this? How can you even think this? Of course I will have this baby," she exclaimed, being upset and on the verge of tears. "It's Leonard's baby. If he doesn't return, Leonard will live on through this baby. It's our child." Tears now rolled down Penny's cheeks. "I won't allow anyone to take this away from me. And from Leonard."

Wyatt got up and hugged his daughter. "I'm so sorry slugger. I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry."

Susan also came up and laid a hand on Penny's shoulder. "You'll get every possible support from our side, sweetheart. We promise."

"Yes, Penny. You and your baby will get everything you need," Wyatt added.

Penny quickly calmed down. "Thanks mom and dad. You two are the best parents one can wish for."

* * *

The next day Penny called her friends in Pasadena and told them the news about her pregnancy. They were all happy for her, but at the same time sad, that Leonard didn't know he would become a father.

For Penny it was very hard to cope with this fact. Everytime she thought about this, tears inevitably shot in her eyes. She couldn't help it. The only thing that brought her out of the gloom for a few hours was her work on the stud farm. Being in company with horses had a very calming and consoling effect on her. As time passed, she even made some friends there, with whom she could talk during breaks or after work. Of course these friendships weren't comparable with the ones she had in Pasadena in terms of closeness or profundity, but at least she had found some nice people she could talk with.

* * *

It was mid August and the summer heat combined with high humidity was really unpleasant this day. The work day was over for Penny, who had just finished a conversation with a fellow groom called Samantha, one of her new friends. While Samantha walked to the office building, Penny was about to go to the parking lot to drive home. She had bought a little used car a few days before, so she wasn't dependent on her father's pickup anymore. Unnoticed by her, a young man called Tom, who was employed as gardener for the green spaces of the stud farm, approached her. Penny was startled, when he tipped her on the shoulder, causing her to make a little jump. "Holy shit!" she bursted out.

Tom flinched and raised his hands. "Sorry, it wasn't my intention to scare you," he apologized.

"Oh my god," Penny complained. "Announce your arrival somehow the next time."

"Again, I'm sorry. Your name is Penny, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm Penny," she answered and checked the young man, who appeared to be in his early to mid twenties. He was pretty tall and quite slim with long brown hair, that were tied to a ponytail. "How can I help you?"

"Umm...My name is Tom. I'm the gardener for the green spaces here," he replied. "Since it's such a hot day, I'd like to ask, if I could treat you to a cold drink."

Penny wasn't interested. "That's very nice, Tom. But no thanks," she smiled. "It's time for me to make tracks home."

Tom made a puppy face and tilted his head a little sideways. "Aw, come on. It would only take five minutes."

Penny had to chuckle at his facial expression. "Again, thanks for the nice offer. But as I already said, I'm on my way home."

"What about tomorrow? The weather forcast predicts temperatures as high as today."

Penny smiled. "I'm not working tomorrow."

But Tom didn't want to give up. "I could pick you up tomorrow and then I treat you not just to a cold drink, but to a delicious tub of ice cream as well. I know a nice ice cream parlor in downtown Omaha."

Penny didn't like the obtrusiveness of Tom, and was beginning to get annoyed by his demeanor. "Okay, Tom. For starters. I don't know what you are up to, but I have a boyfriend."

"Of course. A gorgeous young woman like you has to have a boyfriend. He's really a lucky man. But we could have a cold drink and ice cream just as colleagues."

Penny just smiled. "Bye, Tom." She turned on her heels and walked to the parking lot.

"Bye, Penny." Tom looked at her, as she walked away. "We are not finished yet," he said in an unsettling dark tone, as soon as Penny was out of earshot.

* * *

The raspy sound of the charred branch resounded in the cave. Leonard had just added another line to his cave wall calendar. _120 days._ _Provided my calendar is right, today would have been the day, I should have returned to Pasadena. To Penny._

He dropped the branch and stepped out of the cave into the bright sunlight of another day alone on an island in the Pacific Ocean. By now he had more or less given up every hope to be rescued. Either he would find a way himself to escape or he would die here on this island. Alone and forgotten.

Taking his spear he walked to the lagoon, the flare gun attached to the belt of his cut off pants, just in case another plane would come in sight again.

Leonard had developed some amazing skills in catching fish, so he mostly hit them with his first attempt. This time he caught a really big fish. _This will be a feast._

Sitting on the beach, eating his fried fish, he looked out at the sea, thinking about Penny. Suddenly a noise behind him give him a start. The damaged and useless liferaft, that was stretched on the rock, in which his cave was located had fallen to the ground. The bright orange rubber thing lay folded up on the beach.

After Leonard had finished eating his fish, he got up and wanted to bring the liferaft back on its old place on the rock, where it served as an addition to the other signals on the beach. The still burning fire and the letters that formed the word "HELP", which he had to renew every two weeks. He grabbed the liferaft and climbed on the rock. Just when he was about to fold out and fasten the liferaft to the rock with cords, a seabird landed on the rock, only a few inches away from his face. The unexpected visitor startled him so much, he lost his balance and fell off the rock. Unfortunately his right shin hit the rock during the fall. An extreme pain went through his leg.

Leonard lay on the beach in the shadow of the rock and squirmed with pain. He wanted to stand up, but he fall back into the sand with a moan. The pain he felt in his right shank was breathtaking, in the truest sense of the word. He frisked his shank and felt a strange dent in the middle of his shin bone. Maybe it was broken. Touching the spot hurt terribly. The pain went through his whole leg. He had to immobilize it.

He crawled around the rock to his cave, where he had stored a lot of branches and bamboo canes, that served as firewood and material for his spears to catch fish. Out of some bamboo canes he constructed a splint for his leg, that was held together by gauze bandages from his first-aid box. Wrapping the bandages tightly around his shank, the pain in his leg was almost unbearable. But he couldn't crawl around the ground all the time until his shin bone was healed up. He needed a crutch.

Crawling out of his cave, he only had to search for five minutes to find what he was looking for. A thick branch with a point of separation at the right place. After cutting one end of the branch a little bit with his army knife, his self made crutch had the right length. He tried to walk with it, which was difficult at first, but eventually he managed to stand upright and was able to move on. Going on a crutch was burdensome, but at least he was in a position again to do everything he needed to stay alive. Going to the lagoon to catch fish, collect coconuts and of course refilling his water bottle. It just took up a lot more of time. But time was something he really had enough.

* * *

Penny was in her 18th week of pregnancy and a baby bump was clearly visible now. Her pregnancy went really well so far. There were no problems and both her family doctor and her gynecologist were extremely satisfied. Two weeks earlier her gynecologist asked if she wanted to know the sex of her baby, since it was possible to determine it at that time via ultrasound. But she didn't want to know it. Whether her and Leonard's baby would be a boy or a girl should be a surprise.

Since the day she told her parents about the pregnancy, they were the embodiment of support. Even though Penny was always thinking of Leonard and couldn't help it to cry every so often because he wasn't there by her side, she was happy to have this support by her parents and the whole family for that matter.

Although the birth of Leonard and Penny's child was still a few months away, her father had already started to furnish a room for the baby. He used the room of Penny's brother Randall and was determined to turn it into a baby's paradise. He had built a crib and a diaper-changing table. Also the room was filled with lots of stuffed animals and baby toys, which literally reached the ceiling. Penny was particularly delighted by the really big lifelike stuffed lion, zebra and giraffe, that almost occupied half of the room. They must have cost a fortune. It was as if you were in the Serengeti National Park in Africa and not in a child's room.

* * *

A few days later, Penny was standing in a box inside of the stable of the stud farm. She had just finished to feed the horses, and was about to go home.

"Hey Penny!"

She turned around and saw Tom standing in front of the box. "Oh, Tom. Long time no see."

"Yes, actually since the day you rejected my invitation to a cold drink," Tom exclaimed in a reproachful tone.

Penny rolled her eyes. "I told you why."

"Right, because you have a boyfriend," Tom huffed, airquoting the word 'boyfriend'.

Penny imitated his airquoting, while narrowing her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I saw you quite a few times in downtown Omaha. You never had any male company."

Penny was really confused now. "So?"

Tom leaned against a post and folded his arms in front of him. "Well, maybe you don't have a boyfriend. Maybe you lied and just rejected me."

Penny was flabbergasted at Tom's bluntness. She absolutely didn't like his accusing tone. "I didn't lie. I have a boyfriend. And by the way. How do you know? Are you stalking me?"

"I'm not stalking you. I just happened to be at the same place, when I saw you," he answered.

Penny shook her head and wanted to leave the box, when Tom suddenly blocked her way. "What the hell? Let me pass!"

Tom grinned spitefully. "I don't think so."

"Are you crazy? Leave me alone!" Penny said in a loud voice.

Tom just grinned. "Alright, but first you have to give me a kiss, to make amends for rejecting my invitation to a cold drink."

Penny laughed. "Dream on!"

"Well, I can see you are pregnant. You don't want me to hurt you or your baby," Tom threatened.

Penny couldn't believe what was going on. "Are you threatening me?"

"Just do what I say to you, and nothing will happen to you and your baby."

"Okay, asshole. Enough is enough!" Penny yelled and kicked Tom forcefully in his groin. He went down on the ground like a wet sack and squirmed with pain.

Although Tom was in massive pain, he somehow managed to get on his knees and wanted to grab Penny's shirt. But an outraged Penny swung her arm and gave him a well-placed uppercut. "And this is for threatening to hurt my baby, you scumbag." Tom sank to the ground again, holding his chin with one hand and his groin with the other.

"Mark my words!" Penny said, looking down at Tom. "If you mess with me, I go all Nebraska on your ass."

Penny went to the office building of the stud farm and informed her boss Mrs. Blake about the incident in the stable. Penny never saw Tom again.

* * *

When Penny lay in bed by late evening, she thought about the events of the day. _This was really a crazy day. I wish I could tell Leonard._

Stroking her baby bump, she looked out of the window and saw the stars twinkle. _Leonard, wherever you are. Our baby is fine. Please come back to me and our baby, so you can hold it in your arms like I will, when it's born._

And then she suddenly felt something. It was the baby. It had kicked for the first time.

 **To be continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks once again for all the great reviews.**

 **Here's chapter six. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from _The Big Bang Theory_. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 6

Penny had tears in her eyes. Feeling her and Leonard's baby inside of her was amazing. Over the years she had heard quite a few descriptions of how it felt, when a baby was kicking. From friends, family members or her sister. But now that she felt it herself, it was different from all the descriptions.

It felt like an involuntarily muscle twitching at first. Then it turned into a feeling that was hard to describe. Bubbles that were popping inside her tummy came into her mind. It was really an amazing feeling.

 _Oh Leonard, my love, how I wish you could be here with me right now. It feels so amazing. Our baby is okay, Leonard._ Tears were now freely rolling down her cheeks. "Do you hear me Leonard? Our baby is okay," she sobbed. "Yes, our baby will be fine. I feel it. And I know, someday you will be here with me again. To hold our little darling. Together with me."

* * *

After three weeks Leonard was able to fully load his leg again. He was quite lucky under the circumstances when he fell off the rock. He could have been severely injured, and what would have been just an inconvenience in Pasadana with the right medical treatment, could have turned into a life-threatening scenario on an inhabitated island with only a first aid box at hand. But his injury was just a light bruise that healed completely within those three weeks.

During those three weeks not only his injured leg completely healed, he also had developed a plan to leave this godforsaken island. He was on this island for almost five months now. According to his cave wall calendar it was mid October. Under no circumstances he wanted to spent the rest of his life on the island. His yearning for Penny, that was almost physically painful, kept him alive during this time. But yearning wouldn't bring him back to Penny. His hope of being rescued was long gone. Leonard had to take his fate into his own hands, when he wanted to be with Penny again by Christmas. This was his goal. Home again with Penny, with his friends and his family by Christmas.

Being able to walk again properly, he started to collect everything that was useful to put his plan into action. He wanted to build a raft. Of course Leonard knew this would be an extremely dangerous move, since the likelihood of building a raft that could survive the rigors of ocean storms over a great deal of time wasn't very good. Also he would have no signal fire and only a limited amount of food and water. But he had to try it.

To build the raft, Leonard needed a lot of wood and vine for lashing. The best wood he could use for the raft was bamboo, since its hollow culms were filled with air. A raft consisting of this material would be extremely buoyant. The bamboo canes that lay around in the forest were too thin, he needed really thick stems.

Near the pond inside the island was a bamboo grove. He walked to the grove and picked out a few stems that would be fine for the raft. Because of the strength of the bamboo stems it was virtually impossible to cut them down with his swiss army knife, so he had to use another method to get the desired wood. He made a fire with matches, that were in the first aid box, together with the flare gun. Thinking back, how laborious it was to make his first fire with his glasses he had to chuckle.

Before the fire could be used, Leonard pierced holes in the lower areas of the stems to release the air. This was important to prevent an explosion. Then he used the fire to burn the bamboo stems at its base and waited untill they fell.

Over the course of the next two weeks, he constructed the raft, that should bring him away from this island and back home.

* * *

While Leonard had begun to build a raft, Penny's pregnancy proceeded without any problems. She was now in her fifth month and everyone told her she was literally glowing. A common expression with pregnant women. And it was true, Penny had a radiance, that didn't go unnoticed to the people who saw her. And she was indeed very excited to become a mommy, no doubt about that. But there was also an underlying melancholy inside of her that was always present, because of Leonard's absence. To cope with the fact that the father-to-be wasn't there to accompany and support the expecting mother during her pregnancy, and therefore wasn't able to experience crucial moments with her in this time, like the baby's first kick, was extremely difficult.

It were mainly Penny's perents, whose unconditional support and love for her daughter, helped her in these times. Her family and her new friends in Nebraska were a strong support too, just as her friends Bernadette, Amy, Raj, Howard and Sheldon in Pasadena, to whom she stayed in close touch.

* * *

One day after a nice dinner with her parents, Penny stepped out on the porch of the farm house and sat down on the swing. She remembered how her parents sat there with her when she was a little child, and she looked forward to the time, when she would sit on this very swing with her own child.

It was a pretty mild October evening, so sitting outside for a while was no problem. Looking at the night sky with its twinkling stars, she suddenly saw a shooting star.

Penny smiled. "Now I have a wish." She closed her eyes and began to whisper. "Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight. Please let Leonard come back to me and our baby."

She opened her eyes and stroked her baby bump. "Leonard would dismiss this," she chuckled softly. "But it does no harm, right?"

* * *

November had begun, but being on a tropical island in the South Pacific there was no change of seasons. It was the same weather every day, with rain and storms the only change here and there. But for Leonard there was something new. He really had managed to built a raft. It took more time than expected, but in the end he did it. Not without a little bit of pride, Leonard looked at his work.

The raft was roughly 12 feet long and 8 feet wide, consisting of 50 thick bamboo stems. Everything was tightly lashed together with vines. To slide the heavy raft into the water, he had built it on two large bamboo trees on the ground that were about 8 feet apart.

Before he could set sails so to say, he had to test the raft in shallow water. Considerding the very dangerous undertaking he was about to make, there mustn't be any doubts about the seaworthiness of his raft. Because being stranded on an island would be a much better alternative than having his raft sink miles away from shore in probably shark-infested waters.

Not without a lot of physical effort Leonard launched the raft and climbed aboard. From his sitting position he got up and tried to stand on it. He was a little unsteady on his feet, but after finding his balance he eventually could stand without problems. The raft carried his weight and was floating on the water. The raft had passed the test.

He jumped back in the water and dragged the raft back on the beach. Now he had to build a housing on the raft and collect enough food and water for the dangerous journey that lay ahead of him. For the housing he wanted to build a tent-shaped framework, with the material of the liferaft that originally brought him to the island as casing.

But before he started to extend his raft, he needed to eat something. Equipped with his bamboo spear, he walked to the lagoon to catch a fish. Twenty minutes later he stood in the shallow water of the lagoon and was on the look-out for a scaly marine animal for his afternoon meal.

Out of the blue the wind started to swell up. Leonard continued fishing, while the wind was getting stronger and stronger. Five minutes later he had caught a fish and went back to the cave. The fire on the beach was still burning, but it was only a question of time until it was literally blown out. Meanwhile the sky had dramatically changed. Mighty dark clouds appeared on the horizon and the waves that rolled towards the island became bigger and bigger. He brought the fish into his cave and lit a fire at the entrance, which was facing away from the beach, so inside the cave he was protected from the weather. Then he made sure his raft was securely fixed, so it wouldn't swept away by high waves.

Standing on the beach, he looked out at the sea that was getting rougher and rougher by the minute. A storm was approaching, a massive storm.

* * *

Leonard lost a whole month. Storm after storm hit the island and made it impossible to set to sea. He looked at his calendar, on which he just had left another line, which told him it was December.

 _More than six months_ , he thought. _More than six months on this island and apart from the love of my life. I wanted to be back with Penny by Christmas._ He slung away the charred branch, which he used as his writing material for the cave wall calender, and sat down on the ground. He was in despair again. It seemed that everything had conspired against him.

* * *

The next day, when he stepped out of his cave, Leonard was welcomed by a glorious blue sky and a sea that was flat like a sheet of paper. He had to make use of this opportunity. Without losing much time he started to collect all the material he needed to build the housing for his raft. He worked without cease and by late afternoon he was done.

The rest of the day before the dusk set in he collected as many coconuts as possible. Dried fish, from which he had built up a nice supply of over the last few days, should serve as additional source of food. From the material of the liferaft he had formed numerous bags which were filled with water. The bags were tightly tied together at the top with vines. In order to drink he wanted to stick thin, short bamboo canes through the top, that would serve as drinking straw.

Leonard lay in his cave and thought about his journey into the unknown. There were many dangers, but he had no choice. When he wanted to see Penny again he had to be willing to undergo this risk. He couldn't wait on the island for his rescue any longer. A rescue that wouldn't come anyway.

It was early in the evening, but Leonard needed to be rested. He had decided to leave the island as early as possible. While the flickering fire at the entrance threw dancing shadows on the wall and the ceiling, he slowly drifted off to sleep, exhausted by the hard word he had accomplish on that day.

* * *

At the same time in Nebraska, Penny and her mother came back from an evening visit at a shopping center in downtown Omaha. The farm house was covered by the first snow of the winter, that had fallen the day before.

Penny opened the front door and entered the house together with her mother. "Hey dad. We're back."

They walked into the living room, where Wyatt sat on the couch and watched TV.

"Have you two already looked for Christmas gifts?" Wyatt asked.

"No, we were just looking around," Susan answered. "It's still time. Christmas is only in three weeks."

Wyatt looked up to her daughter and smiled. "Maybe you want to look in the baby's room. There's a surprise waiting for you."

Penny raised a brow. "A surprise?"

Wyatt nodded. "Yeah, why don't you have a look."

Penny turned on her heel and went upstairs. Having arrived the second floor, she walked straight into the room for her and Leonard's baby.

Switching on the light she immediately saw what her father meant. It was a music box with a sleeping baby on a white flower, standing on the dresser next to the crib. But it wasn't just an ordinary music box. Penny remembered it like yesterday. It was the music box she had in her room when she was a little child. Someday it fell off her nightstand and broke. She had never seen it again since that time. Obviously it was never thrown away and her father had fixed it.

Penny walked to the dresser and took the music box in her hand. She spun the baby figure and 'Hush Little Baby' was played. The rush of memories overwhelmed her in the second she heard the first notes. She felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Only now she saw there was a slip of paper lying on the dresser. Penny picked it up and read what was written on it.

 _I never thought I could fix this music box that you loved so much when you were a little child, but I could. And now I know, things that seem unfixable can be fixed. Things that seem impossible can come true. And in the same way it is not impossible that Leonard will return. As long as you don't give up hope, there's a chance he will come back someday. And as long as you hope, we hope. Together with you. Please accept this little gift as a symbol of this hope. We love you. Mom and Dad._

The tears that already had welled up in Penny's eyes, began to burst out now.

While putting the music box back on the dresser, her parents appeared. Penny turned around and walked towards her father and mother and engulfed them in a hug one by one. "You two are the best parents in the world," she said amid tears.

Wyatt and Susan were touched. Seeing her daughter so emotional was rare, as she tended to hide her feelings.

"How about a cup of hot chocolate for all of us?" Susan asked.

"That sounds great, mom," Penny answered.

* * *

When Leonard woke up, a silver lining on the horizon announced the break of a new day. Slowly opening his eyes, he needed a few moments to realize where he was, because he woke up from a dream that felt amazingly real.

 _He walked hand in hand with Penny along a beach, that looked like the beach at Santa Monica Pier with its ferris wheel and the roller coaster track of Pacific Park. It was a bright summer day. Leonard and Penny stopped and turned to face each other, looking deeply into their eyes. "I love you Leonard", Penny said. "I love you too, Penny," he replied. Then they kissed. Soft and tender at first, but the kiss became more and more passionate. When they broke the kiss to gasp for air, a little girl ran up to them, holding a balloon in one of her hands that had a cartoon character printed on it. Coming closer, with a bright smile on her face, she happily exclaimed, "Mommy! Daddy!"_ Then he awoke.

As soon as he realized he had only dreamt a rush of sadness overcame him. But at the same time also a burning desire to see Penny again. "Penny, my love. I'm coming back to you."

With these words, that resounded in the cave, he got up and stretched himself. After taking a sip of water from his bottle, he took the charred branch to draw the last line on his cave wall calendar. It was line number 200.

Not losing any time he began to bring his food and water for the journey on the raft along with his other stuff. Securely placing all the things inside a specially constructed case, Leonard checked if he hadn't forgot something. Water bags, food, spears, shoulder bag, first aid box including the flare gun. "Okay, everything is on board."

Fortunately the weather had held. The horizon of the clear sky was lit up in fantastic shades of red and orange by the rising sun. "Now or never," he said and dragged the raft into the water. With all the loading on it was more difficult to get the raft on to the water, but having the bamboo rail it was manageable. As soon as the raft was floating on the water, he climbed aboard and started to row with two paddles, that were fastened to the raft. Since the sea was calm, it wasn't too difficult to get over the surge. He rowed and rowed without cease until he was on the open sea. After five minutes he paused and looked back to the island, that was his place of exile for the last 200 days. "Bye island. I won't miss you."

Leonard decided to go north, since he assumed his chances were bigger to return to civilization in that direction. Going south would bring him to Antarctica, not exactly the place he wanted to go. Using the rising sun in the east as a compass, he continued to row in the direction of what he thought should be north.

 **To be continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: What can I say? Thank you once again for all the great reviews.**

 **Here's chapter seven. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 7

It didn't take long and the island, where he spent 200 days of his life in exile had disappeared beyond the horizon. Leonard was out on the open sea surrounded by the vastness of the ocean. The rising sun had turned the surface of the sea into a glittering golden carpet. There was no wind and the sea was almost as flat as a pancake. He hoped his way northwards would let him cross shipping lanes or would bring him into areas of the ocean with inhabited islands.

Leonard calculated if he would be economical with his water and food supplies, it would be enough for ten days. After that point he would be dependent on collecting rainwater and catching fish in the ocean. He also hoped he wouldn't get into a storm, since he didn't know, if his raft was strong enough to survive the rigors of ocean storms. So, his survival depended mainly on the weather and of finding rescue within this calculated ten-day period of time.

Although the sea was calm, the swell was enough to let the raft constantly going up and down, which caused a slight feeling of nausea. He had to throw up a few times, but eventually he got used to the wobbling. More annoying was the water that sloshed on the raft all the while. But since he had no other choice to endure this, he also got used to this relatively quick.

For the first three days nothing happened. The raft drifted on the ocean, and Leonard kept it pushing forward with his two paddles that were fastened to the raft, while the sun burned mercilessly down from a sky that was pretty much cloudless. He managed to row up to 10 hours per day. The tent-shaped housing was a special construction, that could also be used as a sail, giving him the opportunity to have breaks from rowing from time to time.

On the fourth day he suddenly had company. Dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins to be exact, gathered around the raft and performed true feats. It was a sight to behold and brought joy to him, as he wasn't so lonely anymore on his dangerous journey. The dolphins appeared shortly after sunrise and accompanied him over the whole day. "I wish I could leash you my friends," he chuckled. "You would bring me forward much faster."

He didn't know what distance he had traveled so far. Estimating he had managed 30 miles or so per day, he would have traveled nearly 90 miles in the first three days of his journey. While the dolphins had their fun, Leonard kept rowing. He was surprised about himself, that he was physically able to manage this hard work without getting asthma attacks. It was his absolute will to return to Penny. A will so strong it liberated all his energies.

After a day, on which he managed to travel 40 miles, he was lying on the raft, and looked up to sky, hoping he was getting nearer to his rescue and thus nearer to see Penny again.

* * *

Penny had entered the seventh month of her pregnancy. It was a time of serenity, since all the main tests and examinations necessary were taken. It was a pregnancy straight from the pages of a picture book. Everything was alright and there were no complications. Two more months and she could hold her and Leonard's baby in her arms.

As far as Penny's job as a groom in a stud farm was concerned, she had written an application for maternity leave, beginning in January. Since her current job required her standing every day for a few hours, she asked her boss for another occupation until the beginning of maternity leave. Her boss Mrs. Blake was very understanding and gave her a new temporary occupation in the office building, where she could sit with her legs flat, putting them on an ottoman during her lunch break. At home she allowed herself more rest and went to bed as early as possible.

Being in the third trimester of pregnancy, Penny experienced some inconveniences, regarding her own health. She had breathing difficulties and because of rapid metabolism, she felt hot when it was actually very cold. She also had really vivid dreams about her baby and the childbirth, which were most likely caused by an uncomfortable position during sleep or her baby's movements. But her family doctor and her gynecologist assured her that is was normal and nothing to worry about.

* * *

Two weeks before Christmas Penny and her mother went to downtown Omaha to look for gifts. Although they still had enough time, they didn't want to buy gifts at the last moment. The city was extremely crowded, so it was pretty hard to find a parking place, but after twenty minutes they had found one. Unfortunately it was a quite long walk to the shopping mall, which annoyed Penny somewhat given her condition.

"Sorry," Susan apologized and grinned. "I would carry you in a cart, but you're too heavy for me."

Penny chuckled sarcastically. "Funny, mom."

"I'm just kidding," Susan grinned. "You're looking so beautiful with you wonderful baby bump."

Penny smiled a little bit sadly. "Thanks mom. I just wished, Leonard could see it."

Susan patted her daughter's back. "I know, sweetheart. I know."

"Inside the mall are sitting accommodations at every turn. If you feel exhausted, just sit down and rest for a spell," her mother added.

Once inside the shopping mall ten minutes later, Penny and her mother split up. They agreed on meeting again at noon to have lunch. While Susan headed for the stores on the upper level, Penny took the escalator and went downstairs. Strolling along the festively decorated mall, she paused in front of the giant Christmas tree in the center of the mall. It span over three stories and was equipped with thousands of colorful lights.

Penny marveled at the beautiful tree, so she didn't notice the person walking up to her. A tap on her shoulder let Penny flinch a little. She turned around and was confronted with someone, she really hadn't expect to see here.

"Kurt? You of all people! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Is this the way to say hello to an old lover?" he asked in fake huffiness.

Penny rolled her eyes. "Ugh!"

"I'm visiting my family. You know, I'm from here. Maybe you remember? What are you doing here?"

Rolling her eyes again, Penny let out a snort. "Pfff...I'm here because of family matters."

Kurt looked at her baby bump. "So, you have a bun in the oven. Who knocked you up? Someone I know?"

The disdainful tone in which Kurt was speaking to her made Penny angry. "Don't talk to me in this tone. And it's none of your business who the father is!"

"Ha! I bet you don't know the father. No surprise. The way you sleep around, I guess there are hundreds who are in line for this job," he laughed loudly, which caused people to turn their heads and look at them.

Penny was shocked and wanted to give Kurt a clip round the ear. "You are a disgusting asshole, do you know that?" she snarled at him with lot of venom in her voice.

She turned on her heel and walked off, only to stop and turn around after two seconds. "Just so you know. The father is Leonard, the greatest man in the world. We are boyfriend and girlfriend for a long time."

With these words Penny walked away, leaving behind a flabbergasted Kurt.

* * *

Her encounter with Kurt was really upsetting for Penny. She needed a while to calm down, but with a little help in form of a delicious hot fudge sundae she accomplished it. Sitting on a bench and looking at all the hustle and bustle in the mall, a special item in the window display of a comic book store in front of her had caught her attention. A vintage Captain Kirk action figure. She remembered how Leonard told her about an online quiz called 'Which Star Trek Character Are You?' and it took him only four tries to get Captain Kirk. She finished eating her sundae and went into the comic book store to buy the figure.

An hour later she met her mother at the place they agreed on and both went to a restaurant to have lunch. Sitting at a quiet table, Penny and her mother showed their purchases to each other. Since each store had a gift-wrapping service, they couldn't see the actual gifts, as they should be surprises of course.

"And this is for Leonard." Penny showed her mother the nicely packed box. "Even if he's not here, I'd like to have a gift for him under the Christmas Tree."

Susan nodded with an understanding smile on her face. "I'm sure one day you can give it to him."

After a short pause Susan continued to speak. "Umm...while I was on a escalator near the Christmas Tree I could see you talk with a man. He looked like Kurt."

Penny had a disgusted expression on her face. "It was Kurt. He's here to visit his family. But please let's not talk about this scumbag."

"Of course," her mother agreed. "You know, I always hated this guy. He took you away..."

Penny interrupted her. "Mom, please. That's the past. I'm not thinking about those four wasted years anymore. The only good thing about this time was, that it brought me to California. I would have never met Leonard, if I hadn't gone to California."

Susan smiled and patted Penny's hand. "Yes, that's true."

Penny smiled back. "Do you want to go home after lunch?" she asked.

"I have everything I wanted," her mother answered. "Do you need anything else?"

"Well, I'd like to look for some nice maternity clothes," Penny replied.

"How about if we look together?" Susan suggested.

Penny nodded. "Mother-daughter shopping tour. I'm in," she smiled.

* * *

Penny and her mother were back home late in the afternoon. Penny stood in her room and looked at her newly purchased maternity clothes, that were spread on the bed. She was still amazed how fashionable these kind of clothing were nowadays. Opening her wardrobe, to make room for the new clothes, her view fell on the cardboard box, that was standing on the shelf. The box of mementos from Leonard. It was standing on the same place as in her wardrobe in Pasadena. She took it out and put it on her bed, sitting next to it.

The first thing Penny pulled out of the box was a plane ticket. She smiled. _He bought me this ticket when I was too poor to go home for the holidays._ Laying the ticket on the bed, she took a dried rose out of the box next. She remembered how she found it on the windshield of her car one morning on her way to the Cheesecake Factory. There was no special occasion for that, he did it just because. Smiling, she laid the rose next to the plane ticket. Then she held some sheets of paper in her hand. _The thank-you letter he wrote me after the first time I slept with him._ She flipped through the sheets. All eleven pages of it where still there. She had to chuckle. _Only my Leonard would write something like this. And that's why he's so special._ Putting the letter, the rose and the plane ticket back into the box, she saw the pregnancy test. The first one. _And Leonard and I were only together for two months at that time._ _And many more tests followed._ Penny chuckled. "I'm really lazy when it comes to contraception." She rubbed her baby bump and smiled. "But then again, I wouldn't have you, if I wouldn't be so lazy in that regard, right?"

Looking at all those things from the box of mementos, made Penny lost deep in thought. She thought about all the things Leonard did for her. Not just in their time as boyfriend and girlfriend, but since the day they met. _He was so kind. He came over to my apartment and invited me to dinner. He let me use his shower. He even went to my ex and tried to get my TV back. And this was only the first day. Just because, I asked him. We only met each other that day, and he treated me better than all those people I already knew for years. Leonard is really special. There's no other man like him._

Her thoughts continued. _And he's so smart. I really forget this sometimes. I could listen to him for hours, when he talks about his work, even if I don't understand a thing. It was so amazing when I visited him in his lab, and when he showed me this holograms. It started with a pencil, then there was the earth, the solor system and our galaxy. It was so beautiful. Like his mind. Yes, he has a beautiful mind. That day in the lab he said something really amazing. If I only could remember._ Penny thought hard. _He said something like 'it's possible that our lives are really just acting out a painting on the largest canvas in the universe.'_ She remembered how in awe she was. And how turned on she got by his words. She grinned mischievously, thinking about the amazing sex they had in the lab. _Leonard is amazing._

Then she thought about Leonard's selflessness. _He always wants to make me happy. He always puts me first. He always cares for me. If Leonard returns, I'll tell him he has to put himself first as well from time to time. I also want that he is always happy._

Penny rubbed her belly again, and right in this moment she felt the baby kick. That amazing feeling of bubbles that were popping inside her tummy. "Your father is just incredible," she whispered.

Getting up from the bed, she went to the window and looked outside. The evening sky was cloudless and the moon let the snow covered landscape appear in a mystic light. "Leonard, we are waiting for you. And we won't stop waiting for you. No matter how long it will take for you to return, I'll be there and soon we'll be there."

* * *

A week had passed since Leonard had left the island on his raft. He had traveled a distance of 250 miles, but everything he saw, other than a few dolphins who accompanied him for a few days, was water and more water. At the end of the seventh day, Leonard was about to lose all hope. He thought he'd made a mistake and should have stayed on the island. It would have been better to wait years for rescue than dying on the open sea, either in a storm or of dehydration because he was running out of fresh water. He laid down and fell asleep after a few minutes.

In the middle of the night Leonard was rudely awakened by a loud bang. He immediately sat straight on his wobbly raft and looked around. He was surrounded by complete darkness. In the distance he could see flashes of light. A thunderstorm was approaching.

The storm was coming nearer quickly. Suddenly he saw an island in the reverberation of a cascade of vivid flashes of lightning. It looked different than the island he was on. This was an island with high mountains and it was much larger. But he couldn't see any light that indicated it was inhabitated. Looking at the dark silhouette of land in front of him, he noticed an increasing wind force.

He started to row in the direction of the island, knowing that he wouldn't survive if he would stay on the open sea. He covered the distance to the island as fast as his power allowed it. He mustn't waste any time, as the wind became stronger and stronger and the waves higher and higher. All of a sudden, a particularly high wave washed over his raft and almost threw him off. With all his might, Leonard clung to the paddles. But the ever growing waves let him lose control over his raft. He was nothing more than a plaything in the roaring sea now. He let go of the paddles and lay down flat on the raft, clinging to it, hoping the wind and the waves would throw him on a part of the island that had a beach. Otherwise he and his raft would split on a rock. Leonard got lucky, he was shoved exactly towards a beach.

Only seconds later he was washed up on the beach. But the intensity of the landfall was so strong, that his raft was completely shattered. He was hit by a thick bamboo stem and immediately lost his consciousness.

* * *

When Leonard woke up a few hours later he lay on the beach, the surge washing around his legs. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the remains of his raft lying scattered around him. He wore a life jacket and his shoulder bag underneath it. He couldn't remember when he put these things on, obviously he did it unconsciously. He also still wore his glasses. A miracle, in the light of the forces of nature that threw him on the beach. He looked around and what he saw was a palm-lined beach with high densely forested mountains directly behind. But he also saw something different on the beach. He had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. In the distance were people. They were shouting and they came running towards him. He was saved.

 **To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know I sound like a broken record, but thanks once again for all the reviews.**

 **Here's chapter eight. I apologize for this very short chapter. I had a really bad headache over the last two days and was hardly able to write.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 8

Leonard hoped the people who were running in his direction were considerate towards him. It were three men and judging by their appearance they were polynesian. As soon as the men arrived him, they talked insistently to him. With his wild beard, messy hair and ripped clothes he offered a desolate sight. Leonard didn't understand a word, but he recognized they were talking French.

Leonard looked at the men, who examined him from head to toe. "I'm sorry, I don't speak French. Is anyone of you speaking English?"

One of the men stepped forward. "I speak English. We saw you lying on the beach. What happened to you?"

Leonard started to speak in a shaky voice. "I survived an emergency water landing after the plane was hit by a severe thunderstorm. I managed to make it on an uninhabited island with a life raft, but I was trapped there for seven months. Then, a week ago, I could escape with a raft that I had built. Last night I almost got into a storm, but I was lucky and could reach this island."

"Oh my god! You are the scientist from America who was reported missing. It was on the news." The english-speaking man exclaimed, while the two other men helped Leonard to get up on his feet.

Leonard nodded. He was surprised he had been in the news. "Yes. I beg you, please help me. I want to go home."

"Of course we help you. Don't worry," The man said in a soothing tone. "You are safe now."

Leonard was relieved. The men were frienly and they would help him. He was really saved and could return to Penny.

"We live in a small village close by here. We bring you there. You need new clothes and something to drink and to eat. We have a telephone, so you can tell your family you are alive," the man said and smiled at him. "By the way, my name is Michel, these are my brothers Jérôme and Marcel.

Leonard smiled back at the three men. "I'm so glad this island is inhabited. But I didn't saw any lights last night."

"We only have electricity for a few hours per day." Michel explained. "But now let's go. We'll bring you back to your loved ones as quick as possible."

After the long journey on the raft, Leonard was a bit unsteady on his feet. One of the men helped him to walk until they reached a car, that was parked nearby. Leonard still couldn't believe his ordeal was over after seven months of loneliness and despair. A few minutes later he sat in the car and was on his way back to civilization. Pent up emotions started to break out and Leoanrd started to cry. He would see Penny again. Hopefully she would be waiting for him and hasn't give up on him.

Ten minutes later they arrived the village. After parking the car, Michel and his brothers led Leonard to a nice wooden house, that looked like it was just freshly painted. Leonard could still smell the undried paint.

They entered the house and Leonard was offered a place to sit in the kitchen. "Please have a seat."

"Merci beaucoup!" Leonard thanked them in french. "I'm afraid I don't know many french words."

Michel smiled. "No problem. I'm quite fluent in english. I have studied a few years at the University of California in Berkeley."

"Wow, that's amazing." Leonard looked around. "Umm...I haven't asked where we are."

"This is the island Raivavae. It belongs to French Polynesia," Michel answered and gave Leoanrd a glass of water.

"Thank you very much." Leonard took a gulp of the water.

"You're welcome," Michel said, placing the water bottle on the table. "Please drink as much as you want. I'll get my cellphone. My brothers are preparing something to eat for you."

A minute later Michel came back with a cellphone in his hand. "This is a prepay cellphone. There's enough credit on it. So, take your time and call everyone you want."

Leonard smiled. "Thank you, Michel." He took a deep breath and with shaky hands he dialed Penny's number of landline in apartment 4B. But instead of a dialing tone, there was a message the number had been disconnected or was no longer in service. He tried it again, but the message was the same. He was confused and worried. Why was her phone out of service? Then he dialed Penny's cellphone number. Fortunately he could remember all the numbers. But this had the same result. A computer voice told him, the number was no longer in service.

Leonard was very disappointed and all sorts of bad thing went through his head. He was almost close to tears, but he calmed himself quickly and called his mother. He didn't have to wait long and he heard the voice of Beverly Hofstadter.

"Hello?"

Leonard cleared his throat. "Umm...Please don't get a shock. This is Leonard."

For a few seconds, which appeared like minutes, there was just silence.

"Mother? Are you still there?"

"Leonard?" There was another long pause. "Is that really you?" Beverly asked in a strange silent voice that almost sounded she was about to cry.

Leonard was touched. His mother had emotions and feelings for her son after all.

"Yes, mother. It's me."

Leonard had to take a deep breath again and started to explain what happened to him. Of course he also asked his mother about Penny. Beverly told him, that she had returned to Nebraska, but she didn't tell him that his girlfriend was pregnant, as she thought Penny should tell this Leonard herself.

"Do you know what happened to her cellphone?" he asked his mother. "I tried to call her, but her number is out of service, like her landline number. At least I know why that's the case with the latter. But what happened with her cellphone?"

"Oh, right! I got a text message a few weeks ago," Beverly replied. "Penny informed me, that she got a new cellphone with a new number. Just to make sure I can reach her, in case I had new information about you. I'll give you the number."

Beverly gave Leonard the new number, which he wrote down on a piece of paper.

"Mother, I have to see Penny. As soon as possible."

"Of course. Looking at your infatuation for her, this seems plausible. I will try to arrange everything for you. I could charter a private jet that will bring you to Nebraska. Give me a few hours."

"Wow, that would be great. I don't know what to say." Then a sudden idea came to his mind. "Oh, there's another thing, that just entered my mind. I know, this sounds maybe a little strange, but I want to surprise Penny. So, please no word to her or her parents."

"Okay." Beverly assured her son.

"And please don't say a word to Sheldon and my other friends in Pasadena. You can inform Caltech and the University of Auckland, but ask them to keep silence."

"Agreed, Leonard. But let me inform the authorities too. I will ask them to keep silence too and not inform the media or the press, until you are reunited with Penny."

"Thanks, mother."

"You're welcome Leonard. Maybe it sounds strange to hear this coming out of my mouth. But it's good to know you are alive."

Leonard had to chuckle inwardly. "Yes mother, it's good to be alive. It was a hard time, alone on this island. Believe me."

They ended their call five minutes later, after Leonard told her mother the number of the mobile phone, so she could call him back, when the plane would be ready. The island had a small airfield, and Beverly pulled out all the stops to send a private jet to Raivavae.

* * *

In the meantime Leonard got new clothes, cut off his beard, had a shave and a bath. The three brothers were so incredibly helpful, although he was a total stranger. Leonard wanted to give them money for their travails, but they declined. They were happy to help him and more than happy that Leonard could return to his girlfriend.

Five hours later Leonard got a call from his mother. She could charter a private jet, that was stationed in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. It would be in Raivavae the next morning and would bring Leonard back to America.

* * *

Penny stood in front of the Christmas tree in her parent's living room. Together with Wyatt and Susan they had decorated the tree.

"This is really a beautiful tree. Don't you think?" Penny asked.

"Absolutely," her mother agreed.

"This time we have surpassed ourselves, thanks to you," Wyatt said and patted his daughter's back.

Penny smiled with a little sadness in her eyes. "I wish Leonard could see it."

Susan walked over to the coffee table and took Penny's Christmas gift for Leonard. She handed it over to her daughter with a warm smile. "Here, put it under the tree. Then it will be like Leonard would be here to celebrate with us."

Penny nodded, took the gift and placed it under the tree. "Leonard, I hope one day you can open it."

* * *

Leonard had spent the night at the house of the three brothers, who where the embodiment of hospitality.

When the morning broke, Leonard was brought to the small airfield of Raivavae, where a Gulfstream G550 was waiting for him. After saying goodbye to Michel, Jérôme and Marcel, who wished him a safe flight and all the best in the world, Leonard entered the private jet. Its personnel consisted of two pilots and two stewardesses. Also on board was a representative of the U.S. consulate in French Polynesia, since some formalities were to do.

One of the pilots informed Leonard that they would fly non-stop to Los Angeles. There they would refuel the plane, and then they would continue to fly to Omaha. The whole journey including the layover would took 12 hours.

Leonard put his shoulder bag on the table in front of him and sat down. Looking out of the window, he only now fully realized he was in a plane on his way back to America. And he couldn't wait to see Penny again.

 **To be continued...**

 **A/N: I know,** **Beverly is completely out of character. You may think, no way this is Beverly Hofstadter. And I admit, I was thinking the same when I wrote it. But I thought, when you realize that your son, who was missing for seven months and who was presumably dead is still alive, it maybe could bring out this reaction and not just cold rationality.  
**

 **Again, I apologize for this short chapter. The next one will be longer again. :-)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I want to thank you once again for all the reviews. Special thanks to bfm for pointing out a plot hole in the last chapter, so I could fix it. :-)**

 **Here is chapter nine of this story. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 9

The flight from Raivavae to Los Angeles wore on endlessly. If he didn't know it better, Leonard could swear the second hand of the animated clock on the display next to the entrance of the cockpit moved in slow motion. Something's wrong with the laws of physics in this cabin, he thought. At least Paul Davidson, the employee from the U.S. Consular Agency in Papeete, who was also on the plane for some necessary paperwork, was a welcome conversational partner as he was very interested in the adventures of Leonard Hofstadter. After the paperwork was done, talking with him about his time on the island, his work at Caltech and this and that somewhat helped to bridge the time. Except for serving food and drinks, the two stewardesses on board spent their time talking with each other about buff, muscular guys on the beaches of Tahiti, at least that's what Davidson told Leonard as he understood French. Giggling and chuckling the whole time, they weren't interested in a conversation with Leonard and Davidson.

After four hours the monotonous sound of the jet engines inside the cabin made both men very tired. Stretched out on the three-seater couch on the side of the cabin, Davidson had fallen asleep first. While Davidson immediately began to snore softly, Leonard looked out of the window. The vastness of the ocean he saw, made him clear again how lost and lonely he was on that tropical island in the middle of nowhere. And it made him clear how incredibly lucky he was, when he was near the island of Raivavae. The approaching thunderstorm could have killed him. In general, he had been lucky all the time during his ordeal. He survived an emergency water landing. He was washed ashore an island that had fresh water and food. He didn't get seriously sick. He wasn't seriously injured when he fell off that rock. And he survived a seven-day journey into the unknown on a raft made of bamboo stems on the Pacific Ocean. Davidson suggested Leonard to write a book about his experiences, when he told him his story. Leonard had to chuckle, when he hought about it. _Maybe I become famous by writing an adventure and survival report and not because of a scientific breakthrough._

Leonard was really tired now. He was barely able to keep his eyes open. So he leaned back and closed his eyes. As he slowly drifted off to sleep, pictures of Penny appeared in front of his mind's eye. A smile formed on his lips, and seconds later he had dozed off.

* * *

At the same time, as Leonard fell asleep in the plane, Penny stood in the kitchen of her parent's farm and poured herself a glass of water. The calendar on the side of the fridge told her it were only five days left till Christmas. She rubbed her baby bump and sat down at the kitchen table. Penny was in her 31st week of pregnancy. Her due date in February was coming nearer and nearer.

By now she had started to have more trouble getting around as she got heavier and more short of breath, but it was still absolutely bearable. She wasn't complaining. At this point of pregnancy this were totally normal concomitants. She took it easy and just didn't push herself too much. In consultation with her doctors she got some exercise, but made sure to take breaks to rest as much as she needed to.

The days before she was also experiencing her first so-called Braxton Hicks contractions, which were quite discomforting. But drinking a lot of water and changing positions often helped to ease the discomfort. These measures also prevented that those "practice contractions" turned into preterm labor.

Penny also found herself a little bit winded on a normal walk up the stairs, because by now the baby was so big, that it was crowding her lungs. But this was also a thing she take with equanimity, like the difficulties she had with everyday things such as tying her shoes. A real challenge when your pregnant belly was getting in the way all the time.

What was really annoying however were the backaches. To ease them, she had started to visit a prenatal yoga class and at home she kept stretching most of the time.

But the most annoying thing was the trouble to sleep well at night. With a hurting back, belly contractions, hardly finding a comfortable sleeping position and the constant need to get up to pee it wasn't surprising that finding sleep was almost impossible.

From the place Penny was sitting, she could look out of the window. The landscape was covered with snow and the clouds looked as if more snow was on its way. And indeed, just a few moments later some snowflakes began to fall. The slowly falling snowflakes reminded her of Leonard's wonderful gift he gave her, when he returned from the North Pole. The thoughts of Leonard immediately brought tears to her eyes.

"I miss you so much, Leonard. I miss you so much," she whispered.

It didn't take long and she began to cry softly. Right in this moment her father came in through the back door. Penny quickly wiped away her tears. She didn't want her father to see her crying.

"Hi slugger," Wyatt greeted her daughter. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Nothing," Penny answered. "Just drinking a glass of water."

Wyatt nodded and smiled at her. He took off his shoes and placed them next to the door. Then he walked over to the kitchen table and sat down opposite of Penny. "The weather forecast has predicted a few inches of snow the day after tomorrow. This means a lot of snow shoveling."

"Do you think we will have a white Christmas?" Penny asked her father, before taking a sip of water.

"Yeah, it looks like it," Wyatt replied. "But I remember there were years, when we had really a lot of snow just three or four days before Christmas and then a low pressure area south of us shoveled very mild air from the Gulf of Mexico up to here, which let the snow melt completely just in time for the holidays. But I think it's safe to say that something like that won't happen this year."

Penny nodded and looked past her father out of the window, where she absent-mindedly observed the falling snow. Wyatt noticed the slightly red eyes of his daughter. "Penny, is everything okay?"

Penny's gaze wandered from the window to her father. "Sure, why do you ask?"

Wyatt smiled and stroked Penny's hand. "You think of Leonard, right?"

"I just miss him so much, daddy," Penny sighed. "I wish he were here with us. I wish he would know he's becoming a father."

Wyatt nodded. "I know. I wish he were here too. He's a great guy."

"He is." Penny paused for a few moments. "You are really fond of him, aren't you?"

"Of course," Wyatt confirmed. "After all those buff airheads, skateboard idiots, white rappers and sweaty dumb-asses with backwards hats you used to drag along, Leonard was the first young man who was presentable and I thought finally you have met a keeper."

"I know, he was the first guy you have ever really approved of. But was it really that bad with those other guys?" Penny asked.

Wyatt raised a brow and looked sternly at his daughter.

Penny chuckled. "Sorry dad, silly question. You are right. It was that bad. And how! After meeting Leonard and falling in love with him, I could only be ashamed of those other guys. None of them was fit to hold a candle to Leonard. Not a single one. And no one will ever be. That's for sure!"

"You two are meant to be together. Although it took you a while until you realized that," Wyatt frowned.

"I know, dad." Penny sighed deeply. "I made some really really bad mistakes when it comes to Leonard. You even tried to push me back into Leonard's arms when you visited me in Pasadena almost three years ago. During that time when Leonard and I weren't togeher anymore."

"Did I?"

"C'mon dad." Penny replied. "Don't think I didn't see through you, when you said something to Leonard like 'get your sorry, lying ass out of my face and make sure I never see it again'."

Wyatt chuckled. "You recognized my intentions?"

"Of course. You tried reverse psychology," Penny grinned. She sighed and continued in a serious tone. "But even after your visit, I wasn't able to resume my relationship with Leonard at that time, because I wasn't able to recognize that Leonard was the one. The one I had always looked for. It's still hurting to think back at that time. I had screwed up big time. I had ended my relationship with Leonard, because I wasn't able to say that I love him, although I did love him. I was so stupid. And then I almost lost him to that Indian girl, Priya."

Penny eyes become moist. "And more mistakes followed until we could resume our relationship. But eventually Leonard asked me out again. You can't imagine how happy I was."

Wyatt smiled. "I was happy too, when I heard that you and Leonard were back together."

Penny nodded and blinked the tears away that had welled up in her eyes. "Yeah I know. We had some initial problems when were back together, but we overcame those problems." She looked out of the window with a wistful expression on her face. "I love him so much, daddy. And now that I can say that I love him, he's not here. And he won't be here to see his baby. You know that I won't ever give up on him, and that I won't ever let him go. But I also have to take into account that there's a possibility I won't see him ever again."

Wyatt clasped Penny's hand and squeezed it softly. "You will see him again."

Penny looked at her father with a sad smile on her face. "Thanks daddy. Yes, I will see Leonard again. And our baby will get to know his or her father."

* * *

A short, but quite fierce shaking woke Leonard up, which promptly brought back bad memories. _Oh no, please, this can't be happening again._ Full of panic he looked around in the cabin, but whatever had happened was over again. Davidson was still sleeping and the two stewardesses sat next to the entrance of the cockpit talking with each other.

One of the stewardesses saw Leonard's shocked facial expression and came up to Leonard. "There's no reason for concern, sir. This was just a harmless air turbulence."

Leonard quickly calmed down and looked out of the window. He must have slept quite long, because it was dark outside and he could see a sea of light. "Where are we?"

"We are approaching the airport of Burbank, California," the stewardess answered. "We have to fly a few circles, before we get the landing permission, but I think in just about 45 minutes we will have landed."

"Thanks for the information. Can I have a water please?" Leonard asked.

"Of course, sir."

The young woman turned on her heel and a few seconds later a small water bottle was standing in front of Leonard. He took a sip and looked out of the window. The sight of the countless millions of lights of the Greater Los Angeles Area was amazing. He was back in America. Almost seven months after he left his odyssey was nearing its end.

While Leonard looked out of the window, Davidson woke up and stretched himself with a loud yawn, which exposed his whole set of teeth. He looked at Leonard with an embarrassed look on his face. "Sorry Doctor Hofstadter. Where are my manners?"

Leonard had to chuckle. "Good evening, Mister Davidson. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"I can't complain," Davidson answered, rubbing his eyes. "I see, it's dark outside. Do you know where we are?"

"We are approaching Burbank," Leonard replied. "We will land in 45 minutes."

Davidson looked at his watch. "Oh, who'd have thought that? I have slept quite long."

Leonard took another sip of his water. "Are you staying in Los Angeles?"

"Just for one night. Tomorrow I have to fly back to Tahiti," Davidson said and yawned again. This time holding his hand in front of his mouth.

Leonard nodded and turned towards the window again.

Davidson could see that Leonard was lost in reverie. "In a few hours you have arrived your destination. You must be very excited to see your girlfriend again, Doctor Hofstadter."

Leonard turned his head to Davidson. "You can't imagine how excited I am," he said with a bright smile.

He couldn't believe he would see Penny again soon. _I hope she won't get a shock, when I suddenly appear out of the blue._

* * *

Penny was in her room and sat cross-legged on the bed, her pink laptop next to her. She surfed in the internet to look for a nice baby keepsake book to treasure the baby's first years. She had already collected a few things for the book, like her first sonogram. After browsing quite a few sites, Penny had shortlisted three books. To make her final decision she carefully checked out the selected books again. A little detail on one of the book covers eventually led to her choice. It were barely perceptible snowflakes. She had to think of Leonard, when she saw them. _Leonard would love this book._ Penny ordered the book and closed her laptop.

Putting away the laptop, her eyes fell on the framed picture of her and Leonard, that was placed on the nightstand. It was taken by Bernadete at the going-away party for Leonard. That was more than seven months ago now, but she remembered it like it was yesterday. She remembered how she and Leonard made love after the party. It was so wonderful. She wondered if this was the night she had conceived the baby. Looking down at her baby bump she sighed deeply. _Will I ever feel Leonard again?_

Penny got up from the bed and went to the nursery her father had arranged so beautifully. She switched on the light and entered the room. _This is really a baby paradise._ The walls were still white, as her father wanted to wait till they would know if Penny would give birth to a boy or a girl. Then Wyatt would paint the room in blue shades for a boy and pink shades for a girl.

Walking over to the pile of stuffed animals, she picked up a teddy bear, that wore black-rimmed glasses. Penny had to giggle. "Hi, teddy Leonard. How are you?"

Right in this moment her mother came into the room. "Who are you talking to?" she grinned.

Penny turned around and blushed a little. "This teddy bear reminds me of Leonard," she chuckled and put the bear back to the place where she took it from.

Susan chuckled too. "Because of the glasses, I guess."

Penny nodded, a sad smile forming on her face. "You know, seeing this wonderful nursery makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy, because our baby will have a really wonderful place. And sad, because Leonard can't see it." Sitting down on an ottoman next to the crib her father had built for the baby, she continued. "Last night I had a dream. It was shortly after the birth of the baby. By the way, the dream didn't reveal if it's a boy or a girl. Anyway, I walked into the nursery and what I saw were dad and Leonard dressed like painters, holding paint buckets, paint rollers and brushes in their hands. Both saying in unison, 'Let's get ready to paint'. Then I woke up."

Penny looked at the white walls. "I wished this dream would come true." A single tear rolled down her face. "Yes, mom. I really wished this dream would come true."

Susan walked over to her daughter and engulfed her in a hug. "Dreams can come true."

* * *

The layover to refuel the plane at the Burbank airport took a whole hour. After taking leave of Davidson, Leonard was the only passenger on the plane.

It was half past six in the evening, when the plane took off in the direction of Omaha. The pilots had calculated a flight duration of three and a half hours. The plane was scheduled to land in Omaha at midnight local time.

Thirty minutes after the take-off Leonard decided to take another nap. He closed his eyes and it didn't take long until he fell asleep.

The plane arrived the Eppley Airfield in Omaha a few minutes after midnight. After the usual formalities after a landing at an airport, it was nearly one o'clock in the morning. Since he couldn't appear at the farm in the middle of the night, Leonard decided to spent the night at a hotel. But first he rented a car and asked for a nearby hotel.

Twenty minutes later Leonard had parked his rental car on the parking lot of a nice hotel and checked in. Everything he had with him was his shoulder bag and the clothes the three brothers in Raivavae gave him. As soon as he entered his resting place for the night, he flopped down on the bed. Seven months after he had survived an emergency water landing, a sojourn on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific and an extremely dangerous voyage by raft on the open sea, he was in a hotel room in Omaha, Nebraska. And in a few hours he would see Penny again.

* * *

It was eight o'clock when Leonard woke up the next morning. He took a shower and had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. He also bought a coat in a clothes shop near the hotel. Winter days in Nebraska could get very cold.

An hour and a half later he was sitting in his rental car and entered the address of Penny's parents' farm into the navigation device. He didn't know the address, but his mother found it out for him. Taking a deep breath, he started the car and drove off, following the instructions the female voice of the navigation device gave him.

Thirty minutes later Leonard arrived the entrance of the way that led to Penny's parents' farm. The way was partly barred by an old pickup, so he parked the car on the side of he road. It was a very foggy morning and he couldn't see the farm house, so he didn't know how far it was away. He slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder and started to walk into the dense fog.

* * *

Penny stood in living room and rearranged the decoration of the Christmas tree. She thought it was too much and wanted to make it look less cluttered. From the place where she was standing she could look out of the living room window that pointed in the direction of the way that led to the house. Once in a while she looked out of it, wondering about the dense fog outside. Suddenly a dark silhouette, walking towards the house came out of the fog. Penny first thought it was the mailman, but it wasn't the mailman.

 **To be continued...**

 **A/N: I know. It's an evil Cliffhanger. But I promise you won't have to wait long for the next chapter. :-)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: A big thank you to all who read this little story and to those who take time to write a review.**

 **Thanks to soundsgood200 and bfm for pointing out some inconsistencies in chapter 9. It seems I have serious problems with numbers. I fixed it. ;-)**

 **Here's chapter 10.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 10

Penny's eyes blinked rapidly. The man that walked out of the fog and now had stopped a few feet in front of the house looked like Leonard. How was that possible? Penny slowly walked into the hall, opened the front door and stepped out on the porch. She was sure she was dreaming, but the man who looked like Leonard was still there. Penny's mouth was slightly open and she breathed heavily. Leonard, who saw Penny coming out of the house, just stand there, unable to move. Neither of them was able to move. It was as if time would stand still.

They both looked at each other, surrounded by total silence in the gray twilight of a foggy morning in December, not able to do anything. It was, as if an invisible force was holding them back. A force that tried to persuade them that all this wasn't real. That all this wasn't happening. Minutes passed, that seemed like hours. Then suddenly Leonard began to smile. I was a smile, that touched her heart. She didn't understand what was going on. This was so surreal. But Leonard's smile was like a signal that unconsciously set Penny in motion. Slowly she began to walk towards the man, who stood in the yard like a Fata Morgana. One step at a time, she walked towards the stairs that led down from the porch to the yard. It was like she was floating, and all the while she looked directly into Leonard's sparkling eyes.

When Penny was just a breath away from Leonard she stopped and looked at him. He still had this smile on his face. This special smile only Leonard could bring forth. Touched by his smile and mesmerized by his wonderful sparkling brown eyes, she still wasn't able to say a word. He looked so real, but it couldn't be real. She had to be dreaming. Carefully, as if she would touch a bubble, Penny reached out her hand and touched Leonard's cheek. In the moment she touched him and felt his skin, she began to tremble. A feeling of warmth filled her entire body that was impossible to describe.

"Leonard?" she whispered in a voice that was scarcely audible.

"Yes, Penny." Leonard nodded with bleary eyes.

Penny barely noticed how tears welled up in her eyes and ran down her face. "Oh my god, Leonard!"

In the very next moment they had wrapped their arms around each other. They hold on to each other for dear life. Nobody wanted to let go, both fearing that in the moment they would break their embrace all this would burst like a bubble. Both were crying without restraint. All the emotions that had pent up over the last months were forging ahead.

"I always knew you were alive," Penny croaked out amid tears, sobbing into Leonard's shoulder. "I knew it."

Leonard and Penny were lost in their own world. Everything around them was completely forgotten and doesn't seem to exist anymore. After a while, neither of them knew how much time had passed, they looked each other deeply in the eyes. And in this moment they both understood what it meant, when someone was saying 'the eyes are the windows to the soul'. Both, Leonard and Penny was granted a direct look into the soul of the other and into the world of the deepest feelings they had for each other.

Only a few moments later their lips crashed, and a feeling of pure bliss immediately rushed through both of their bodies. With both hands Penny had cupped Leonard's face, while he had wrapped his arms around her waist. After all those long months of separation, this kiss summed up all the feelings hey had for each other. And if one had to describe this feelings with a single word, only one word could come into one's mind. Love.

Once their kissing came to a natural end, they both breathed laboredly. Looking at each other again, they both began to realize that this could be actually real.

"I love you, Leonard. Please never leave me again."

"I love you too, Penny. I promise, I will never leave you again."

It must have been the excitement of their reunion, but only in this moment Leonard noticed Penny's baby bump. He slowly crouched down and gently stroked her belly. He looked up at her, his mind filled with a million thoughts. "Penny?"

Penny nodded. "Yes, Leonard. You are going to be a daddy and we are going to be parents."

Leonard's eyes opened wide. "Oh my god!" He got up and engulfed Penny in a tight hug, before giving her a soft and tender kiss. "I can't believe it. I'm going to be a father!" Another flood of tears bursted out of his eyes.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Leonard exclaimed amid tears, his hands resting on Penny's pregnant belly. "I'm not just reunited with my love again, I'm going to be a father as well."

Penny just stood there, looking at the man she loved more than everything in the world, a stream of happy tears running down her face. "It's cold. Let's go inside."

Leonard wiped away the tears on his face. "Okay."

Penny took Leonard by the hand and both headed towards the house.

* * *

Leonard and Penny walked up to the porch and went through the front door, that was still open. Standing in the hall, it didn't take long and they were in a tender embrace again. And again, it was like time would stand still. It must have been many minutes, in which they both simply stood there and caressed each other, without speaking one word. They just wanted to feel the presence of the other, they had missed for such a long time.

"Can I have your coat please," Penny asked with a smile, when the broke their embrace.

"Oh, sure." Leonard took off his coat and handed it over to Penny who put it on a hanger, which she had taken out of the closet under the stairs that led to the upper floor.

After Penny had stored Leonard's coat away in the closet she pointed at the living room. "Make yourself at home. I'll get us something to drink."

While Leonard sat down on the couch in the living room, Penny went to the kitchen. She felt like she was in a trance. Leonard was back, he was alive and he was sitting in the living room. She wasn't dreaming. It was real. Dreams really can come true. Penny had to sit down for a moment and process what has happened in the last fifteen minutes. After a few minutes, she somewhat had composed herself. She took a deep breath, got up and walked over to the kitchen cupboard. With two glasses and a water bottle Penny went to the living room.

"Sorry for letting you wait so long. Is water okay?" she asked.

"Yes, of course," Leonard replied.

Penny put the glasses and the water bottle down on the coffee table. She sat down on the couch next to Leonard. They looked at each other for a few moments, both with a smile on their faces. Then she cupped his cheek, leaned forward and kissed Leonard softly on his lips. She had to feel him again, to make sure this wasn't an illusion.

"I still can't believe you're here," she said and shook her head. "This is all so unreal."

"I know," Leonard said and grasped Penny's hands. "It's the same for me. A few days ago, I was on a raft made of bamboo stems, drifting on the Pacific Ocean. And now I'm here, sitting next to the most beautiful girl in the world, who is expecting our baby."

Tears shot in Penny's eyes. She couldn't prevent it. "Oh my god, Leonard," she said with a breaking voice. "You always know what to say. And you always say such wonderful things that let my heart melt."

Leonard smiled and wiped away the tears on Penny's face with his hand. "I see you wear the heart locket I gave you in the car at the airport on the day I departed."

Penny nodded, smiling at Leonard. "Yes, I wear it every day. It gave me strength, hope and confidence during the time you couldn't be at my side." She lowered her head and looked at the locket with an entranced look on her face. "I love it so much." Then she looked at Leonard again. "But now tell me what happened to you during the last seven months."

Leonard took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll tell you."

In the next two hours, Leonard told Penny everything. From the moment he went aboard the plane from Los Angeles to Papeete in May until the moment he saw her again, when she came out of the house earlier this morning.

"And that's the whole story." With these words Leonard ended his narration.

Penny looked at her boyfriend, overwhelmed by his story. "It must have been so terrible, all alone on this island."

Leonard nodded. "It was. I was desperate. But you must have endured a terrible time too."

Penny sighed deeply. "Yes, it was a terrible time. You can't imagine how I felt, when Sheldon told me your plane was caught in a thunderstorm and disappeared from the radar. Or when they found the liferaft with all passengers, except you. Or when they aborted the search for you. I had horrible nightmares, every night. And everything reminded me of you. I couldn't bear it anymore. I had to leave Pasadena, to find my inner peace again. But I never lost hope. I never gave up on you. I always believed you would return to me. And here you are."

Leonard had tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, I did that to you."

Penny leaned forward and hugged Leonard. "No, please no. It wasn't your fault. It was nobody's fault. It was destiny. Everything that counts is that you're here with me now."

Leonard smiled and blinked his tears away. For a few minutes they just sat on the couch in contented silence and hugged each other.

"Umm...Where are your parents?" Leonard asked, when they ended their embrace.

"My parents are in the stable and take care of the horses," Penny replied. "They must be back every minute. It's lunch time. Are you hungry?"

Leonard rubbed his stomach. "And how!"

"Good!" Penny smiled. "Let's go to the kitchen. Follow me."

"I wonder how your parents will react, when they see me," Leonard asked himself.

"Well, they are definitely in for a surprise," Penny chuckled.

* * *

The beep of the microwave oven signalled that the food was ready.

"I'm sorry, I can only offer you a warmed up meal," Penny apologized. "I would cook something for you. But you know my cooking skills."

Leonard chuckled. "It's okay. That'll do me fine."

Right in this moment Penny's parents entered the kitchen through the back door. Seeing Leonard sitting at the kitchen table, they were stopped dead in their tracks.

"Leonard?" Susan asked in disbelief. "Oh my god!" She walked over to him and engulfed him in a hug.

Wyatt followed closely behind, and hugged Leonard as well. "You are alive, son. And you are here."

"Oh, Penny, you must be over the moon," Susan said, jumping up and down. "Leonard, you must tell us everything."

In the next fifty minutes Leonard told Penny's parents the short version of his story and why he was in Nebraska.

Wyatt and Susan were deeply impressed by Leonard's story and his will to survive. "I admire you son," Wyatt exclaimed, after Leonard was finished. "But first and foremost we are incredibly happy you are still with us, so you can be there for Penny and your baby."

"Me too, sir." Leonard looked over to Penny, who had a beaming smile on her face, which he answered with an equally radiant smile.

"Where do you sleep? And how long can you stay?" Susan wanted to know, after they had continued to talk for a while.

"I have a room in a hotel near the airport," Leonard answered. "But I hoped I could stay here on the farm with you all for a while."

"Please, daddy," Penny begged. "Can he stay here with me?"

Wyatt smiled. "Are you kidding me? Of course he will stay here with us. He's your boyfriend and the father of your baby and our grandchild."

"Do you have any luggage?" Susan asked.

Leonard shook his head. "No, just the clothes that I'm wearing, a shoulder bag with personal stuff and a coat that's in the closet under the stairs."

"Let's drive to the city and buy some things for you, okay?" Penny proposed.

Before Leonard could answer, Penny took his hand and dragged him into the hall. Fifteen minutes later they were sitting in Leonard's rental car and drove off to downtown Omaha.

* * *

It was six o' clock in the evening, when Leonard and Penny returned from their shopping tour. While they were in the city, Leonard had checked out from the hotel, since he was staying with Penny, and returned the rental car. Without a set of wheels to return to the farm, Penny had to call her parents to bring them home. It was Wyatt who eventually fetched Leonard and Penny and brought them back to the farm.

After a nice dinner, Penny showed Leonard the nursery. Leonard was impressed by all the stuffed animals and the things Wyatt had built, like the crib or the diaper-changing table.

Seeing the room, that was a baby paradise, Leonard had to ask Penny something. "So, you don't want to come back to Pasadena?"

Penny shrugged. "To be honest, I pictured my future and that of our baby here in Nebraska. But you're right. You have your work at Caltech. Staying here is no option."

Leonard looked around. "This is such a wonderful nursery. It would be a shame, if it wouldn't be used."

Penny nodded. "Yeah, that's true. And my dad put so much work into it."

"We can't raise a child in the apartment building in Pasadena anyway. Both apartment 4A and 4B are too small." Leonard paused for a moment. "No, wait. We could raise a child in 4A. It has two bedrooms. But in that case Sheldon would have to move out. And I think that's very unlikely."

"Yeah, he doesn't like change," Penny agreed. "We would have to find another place."

Leonard contemplated. "Or we still raise our child here. At least for a year or so. I could take a sabbatical."

"Is this possible?" Penny asked.

"I will talk with Gablehauser and Siebert tomorrow," Leonard answered.

Penny looked at Leonard. "Oh, by the way. What about our friends in Pasadena? We should talk to them too. They should know, that you're back and here with me."

Leonard nodded. "Of course. Can you arrange a Skype session?"

Penny smiled. "Sure. They will be thrilled to bits, when they see you."

Leonard made a suggestion for the time of the session. "Tomorrow evening at 7 p.m., which is 9 p.m. here, would be a good time."

"I'll text Sheldon, Amy, Bernadette, Howard and Raj and set up a session."

"Great." Leonard walked over to the pile of stuffed animals and picked up the teddy bear that was named after him. "This teddy bear wears the same glasses like me. Just a little bit smaller," he chuckled.

"And because of that, I named him Leonard," Penny grinned.

"Teddy Leonard?" he laughed.

"Exactly! And you two have almost the same color," she chuckled. "You're quite tanned."

Leonard looked at his hands. "Well, I was exposed to a lot of sunlight during the last seven months."

Then his eyes fell on the music box with the sleeping baby on a white flower, that stood on the dresser next to the crib. He walked over to the dresser and took it into his hand. "That's a really nice music box."

Penny came up to Leonard and nestled up to him, putting an arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. "That's the music box I had in my room when I was a little child. It fell off my nightstand one day and broke. I was so sad. I thought it was thrown away, as I never saw it again since that day. But obviously that wasn't the case, and my father had fixed it. My parents gave it two me as a symbol of hope, that there was chance you would come back one day."

"Wow, your parents are amazing," Leonard said. "They never gave up on me too?"

Penny gave Leonard a soft kiss on his cheek. "Nobody in my family gave up on you. We all firmly believed that you would return one day. And here you are."

* * *

Ten minutes later Leonard and Penny sat next to each other on the bed in Penny's room and made out passionately.

"I missed that so much," Leonard smiled.

"Yeah, me too. It's fun making out with you," Penny grinned and gave him a smooch. Suddenly she looked down at her pregnant belly.

"Is everything okay?" Leonard asked concerned.

"Yes, honey. Everything's okay." Penny grasped Leonard's right hand and put it on her baby bump. "The baby kicks. Can you feel it?"

Leonard nodded and his eyes went wide. "Yes, I can feel it." A smile formed on his face, followed by rush of happiness, that shot through his body. It was amazing. "Wow, that's great. How does it feel for you?"

"It's hard to describe," Penny replied. "It feels like bubbles that are popping inside my tummy."

Leonard savored the feeling of the kicking baby. When he looked up at Penny, he could see tears rolling down her cheek.

"Penny, why do you cry?"

"Don't worry, honey. These are happy tears. I was so sad, you couldn't be here when the baby kicked for the first time, but now you can feel it. And that makes me happy."

Penny looked at the window, which was decorated with a big paper snowflake for Christmas. "Hmm...do you remember when Sheldon hugged me at Christmas five years ago, because I gave him this napkin with Leonard Nimoy's signature? You called it a saturnalia miracle."

Leonard chuckled. "Yes, I remember."

Penny smiled. "Well, but this year we have a real miracle. You're here with me right now. And just in time for Christmas. That's a real Christmas miralcle. Don't you think?"

Leonard nodded and smiled back at Penny. "Yeah, you can't imagine how happy I am. Sitting here with you and feeling our baby kicking." He gently stroked her belly. "I love you."

Penny beamed. "I love you, too."

Leonard leaned forward and kissed Penny. The soft and tender kiss quickly escalated into a full-blown make out session. When both had to gasp for breath, Leonard could see that Penny's eyes were almost completely black from arousal. And he felt a burning desire too.

"Is it safe to have sex?" Leonard asked.

"It is," Penny replied. "But I guess it could be difficult to maneuver."

"Well, if our favorite positions are too difficult, we could consider some new ones," Leonard grinned.

"That's the spirit," Penny giggled and began to undress herself.

* * *

The love making after such a long time of separation was a wonderful experience for Leonard and Penny. And as it turned out, they could perform all of their favorite positions plus some new ones. Penny's parents certainly have heard their love making, as they weren't exactly quiet. But they didn't care.

Two hours later they lay in bed, snuggled under the covers, spooning. Penny lay on her side, with Leonard behind her. He had put an arm around her upper body. Their fingers were intertwinded and rested on Penny's baby bump. For the first time since their last night together before Leonard's departure both had fallen in a contented and restful sleep.

 **To be continued...**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks to all who read this little story and to those who take time to write a review.**

 **Here's chapter 11. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from _The Big Bang Theory_. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 11

For the first time in weeks, Penny's backaches were forgotten and she really could sleep well. And the need to pee during the night was magically gone for the moment. Leonard's presence alone was enough to make this possinle.

It was eight o'clock in the morning when Penny woke up from a wonderful dream, in which she and Leonard sat on a lush green meadow, surrounded by vivacious flowers, the air filled with beautiful birdsong and in the distance a child was playing with a ball.

She slowly opened her eyes and reached behind her. But she grasped at nothing. Turning around, she saw that the place in her bed beside her was empty. Where was Leonard? Was everything that happened since yesterday just a dream? Penny was about to get a panic attack. The room around Penny began to spin and she started to hyperventilate. "Leonard! Leonard where are you?" she panted, her voice full of despair.

Leonard, who just came out of the bathroom, saw her distress and immediately ran towards Penny and jumped into bed. Grasping her hands, he looked straight in her eyes. "Penny, I'm here. Everything's okay. I'm here."

It took a few moments until Penny realized that Leonard was talking to her. "Oh my god Leonard," she exclaimed on the verge of tears. "I thought you were gone again. I thought everything was just a dream."

"I was in the bathroom. I had to pee. I'm here, Penny." Leonard engulfed her in a tight hug and gently rubbed her back, which calmed Penny down quickly. "I promised, I will never leave you again. And I hold my promise."

Penny turned her head to look at Leonard. "I know. I overreacted. I'm sorry I scared you."

Leonard smiled. "No, I'm sorry, for scaring you. I won't happen again." He started to plant little kisses on Penny's face. The last one was placed on her neck below her ear, one of her most sensitive spots. It elicited a little moan from her. "Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"I have slept really well. In fact it was the best sleep I had in ages. Thanks to you." Penny smiled and gave Leonard a gentle kiss on his lips.

Leonard stroked Penny's baby bump. "How do you feel?" he wanted to know.

"Well, apart from this near panic attack, I feel really great. Again, thanks to you." She winked and gave Leonard another gentle kiss on his lips, which lasted a bit longer than the preceding one.

"Always at your service! Leonard chuckled. "What are your plans for today?"

"Hmm, first let's have breakfast. And at eleven o'clock I have an appointment for a prenatal yoga class. How about you come with me?"

Leonard frowned. "A prenatal yoga class, you say? I don't know."

"Come on! Pleeeeeeease!" Penny begged, making puppy eyes.

"Okay, okay," he chuckled. "I come with you. But I don't have to participate, right?"

Leonard's strained facial expression made Penny laugh. "No, you can sit on the side and watch your pregnant girlfriend doing funny exercises. Isn't this exciting?"

Leonard nodded. "Absolutely! I can hardly wait!" he said with a little too much enthusiasm.

Penny raised a brow and looked sternly at her boyfriend. "Leonard Hofstadter!" she exclaimed in a mock offended tone. "Are you being sarcastic?"

"Me? Never!" he grinned.

Penny grinned back at him. "Good!"

Leonard smiled. "No, seriously. From now on, I will never leave your side. I want to be there for you and the baby. Around the clock. To love, care and protect both of you. Now and forever. And I want to be part of everything that belongs to prenatal care and the preparation for the birth. Yoga classes, visits to the doctor, everything."

"Aww, Leonard. You are the best. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Penny leaned over to Leonard and kissed him deeply. "And now let's have breakfast," she said after breaking the kiss, wanting to climb out of bed.

Leonard laid a hand on her shoulder. "Not so fast, young lady," he smiled. "You stay here in bed, and I'll make us a delicious breakfast meal. What do you think of that?"

Penny joyfully clapped her hands. "That sounds great. But don't stay away for too long, or I will start to miss you terribly."

Leonard leapt out of bed, slipped into his house shoes and put on his robe, they had newly bought. "I'll be back in the wink of an eye."

* * *

Leonard went downstairs to the kitchen, whistling a tune. It was still like a dream for him and he couldn't believe his luck. He was reunited with Penny after a seven-month ordeal on an uninhabited island and he was going to be a father. In a few weeks he and Penny would have a family. And now he would make the best breakfast ever for his girlfriend.

When Leonard entered the kichen, Wyatt and Susan sat on the table. Wyatt was reading a newspaper and Susan was writing something down on a piece of paper.

"Good morning son", Wyatt greeted him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Umm...Yes. I had a really great night," he answered, not realizing how ambiguous his answer was.

"I quite believe it," Susan winked, which made Leonard blush heavily.

Wyatt glared at his wife, who just grinned. Turning his head in Leonard's direction again, he cleared his throat. "Umm...Where's Penny?"

"She's staying in bed," Leonard replied. "With your permission I'd like to make a breakfast for Penny and bring it upstairs."

Susan nodded. "Sure! Go ahead. The kitchen and everything in it is at your free disposal."

"Thanks, ma'am. That's so nice of you!"

"Leonard, you don't have to call me ma'am. My name is Susan," she smiled.

Wyatt looked over his newspaper. "You're gonna pamper my lil' slugger, right?"

Leonard nodded. "Yes, sir. That's my intention. Oh, and thanks for letting me stay here. Of course I will help with all the chores in and around the house."

Wyatt smiled. "No problem, son. We are more than happy to have you here. But first and foremost the father-to-be should be there for the soon-to-be mom. Everything else can wait."

While Wyatt and Susan got up from the table, Leonard started to prepare his special breakfast for Penny.

* * *

A few minutes later, Leonard had finished his breakfast. He was about to clean up, but Susan shooed him away, saying she would clean up the kitchen and he should quickly go back to Penny. Leonard thanked Penny's mother and put everything on a big tray, that Susan got out from the kitchen cupboard.

Holding the big tray in his hands, Leonard walked upstairs and returned to Penny's room. "Honey, I'm back. Breakfast is ready," he happily exclaimed when he entered the room.

Penny, who had fallen asleep again, raised her head and slowly sat up. She was all smiles, when she saw Leonard with his tray.

Leonard placed the tray in front of Penny, who sat cross-legged on the bed. "Here's a little treat for my two babies," he smiled and sat next to Penny.

Penny eyed the extremely good looking stuff, whose luscious scent let her mouth watering. "Wow, this looks great. And it smells so good." She pointed at the plates. "What do we have here?"

Leonard shoved a plate from the middle of the tray to the side where Penny was sitting. "Okay, let's see what we have here for us to eat. These are baked eggs with tomatoes and chilli. This is exactly the right thing for a wake-up kick," he chuckled. Taking a fork, he cut off a piece of the eggs, sticked it on the fork and held it out to her. "Please try, and tell me what you think."

Penny took the fork and ate the piece of baked eggs."Oh my god. That tastes so good. How is that done?"

"Well, I slowly cooked drained tinned tomatoes, garlic and chilli until it was thickened," Leonard explained. "Then I added chunks of wholemeal bread so that they started soaking up the tomato juice. After that I cracked a couple of eggs on top and sprinkled it with pieces of feta cheese. Of course the cheese is only on your portion. Then I placed the pan under the grill until the eggs were cooked through. That's it."

Penny took another bite and spoke with her mouth full. "Honey, this is so good. You're a master chef."

Leonard smiled. "Thanks for the compliment. Oh, by the way. The tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, which is needed to absorb iron and vital for helping our baby grow."

Penny was delighted. "That's great. You also think of our baby, when you're cooking." Penny took the glass of the beige-colored fluid that also stood on the tray. "What's this? It looks fantastic and it smells great."

"This is a mango and wheatgerm smoothie," Leonard replied. "For this, I chopped up a mango, added a cup of plain low-fat yogurt, one tablespoon of wheatgerm and two tablespoons of orange juice and blitzed it in a blender. It's great how your kitchen is equipped. The mango contains enzymes which aid digestion, while the yogurt provides calcium to help our baby's bones grow strong. And wheatgerm helps increase stamina and builds muscle for energy."

Penny was stunned. "Why do you know all this stuff?"

"Well, Google can be really helpful at times," he winked. "In many aspects, if you know what I mean."

Penny chuckled. "I do. And you put your Google knowledge to a good use." She took a sip of her smoothie through a straw. "Wow! That tastes great."

"What's your drink?" she asked after taking another sip.

Leonard smiled. "Well, your lactose intolerant boyfriend has a cup of coffee."

Penny took another bite of her baked eggs. It were the best eggs she ever had. "Thanks for this wonderful and delicious breakfast, Leonard."

Leonard was happy. "You're welcome."

They continued to eat, savoring their first breakfast together for more than seven months.

* * *

Two hours later Penny and Leonard entered the room, where the prenatal yoga class took place. While Penny did her exercises, Leonard sat on a chair at the side, and watched his girlfriend. The other women at the class were quite curious about the man that sat there, so Penny had to introduce Leonard. She also had to send out a few glares, since some of the women openly tried to flirt with Leonard.

"I think it's better you stay at home, when I have my class," Penny said after the class was finished. "You attract too much attention," she grinned.

"Huh? What gives you that idea?" Leonard asked astouned.

Penny had to chuckle that Leonard was so oblivious of the women's flirting attempts. "Haven't you noticed that some of the women in the class tried to flirt with you?"

Leonard had a questioning look on his face. "Really? I haven't noticed anything."

Penny looked at Leonard with an incredulous facial expression. "C'mon!" She wanted to give him a few examples, but then a certain person came to her mind. "Yeah, you're right. You did not even recognized those flirt attempts from that girl Alex."

"That's because I only have eyes for you," Leonard said and leaned forward to give Penny a kiss that was a little bit too passionate for a normal public display of affection. The hot kissing didn't go unnoticed to the other women who were about to leave the room of the yoga class.

"Get a room!" one of the women shouted over to Leonard and Penny, who both blushed a little at first, but then had to laugh heartily.

* * *

As soon as they were back on the farm, Leonard had a long talk with Caltech. He spoke with President Siebert and his boss Dr. Gablehauser, the head of the Physics Department at Caltech. First of all they were happy and delighted that Leonard was alive. When Leonard brought up the topic of a one-year sabbatical to Gablehauser he was understanding. Subsequently it didn't took very long to grant Leonard this break from his scientific work to recover from his ordeal and to be with Penny and his child, whose birth was just a few weeks away. The necessary paperwork would be sent to him via email. Despite the sabbatical, Leonard was assured that he would still come into consideration in regard to the open tenured position after Professor Tupperman's death.

Leonard was relieved that everything in this case went so smooth. When he told Penny about his agreement with Caltech she was over the moon, since it meant he could be here for her and the baby twenty-four-seven in the following twelve months. The sabbatical would also give them enough time to find a solution for their living situation in Pasadena, once they would return to California.

Leonard and Penny spent the remaining afternoon underneath a blanket, snuggled up to each other on the couch in the living room. Outside it has started to snow in the meantime. Thick snowflakes came down from the sky and covered everything under a white layer. Three days before Christmas, and with a weather forecast that predicted hard frost, it was safe to say that Christmas 2013 would be a white Christmas. But for Leonard and Penny the most important thing was of course they could spend Christmas together, a thing that seemed highly unlikely for both of them just a few weeks ago.

Seeing Leonard and Penny in this intimate togetherness in their living room shortly before Christmas was heartwarming. It was a joy to behold, and had Penny's mother Susan on the verge of tears of emotion more than once. Even Wyatt was very touched by the displayed affection and love between his daughter and Leonard. What could be more beautiful than seeing their daughter so happy after the torturous uncertainty in regard to Leonard's whereabouts and the mental suffering she had endured in the last seven months.

* * *

After a nice dinner and a little bit of watching TV in the living room, Leonard and Penny went upstairs for the appointed Skype session with Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj at 9 p.m.

Penny went into her room and grabbed her laptop. Then she walked into another room that served as little second living room. It was equipped with a small two-seater couch, a coffee table, a cabinet and a TV stand. There she put her laptop on the table, turned it on and sat down on the couch. Her pleasant anticipation was huge. "They will be so excited to learn you are alive and here with me." She smiled at Leonard who was still standing in the hallway.

Leonard was a bit nervous, but also excited to see his friends again after such a long time. "I really can't wait to see them again."

Penny waited until her computer had booted up and was connected to the internet. "Sweetie, can you please wait at the door, until I call you over to join me on the couch?"

Leonard nodded. "Of course. It's supposed to be a surprise," he smiled, leaning against the doorjamb.

Penny logged into Skype and clicked on her contacts. Then she double clicked on Sheldon's name, since it was apartment 4A in Pasadena where all were supposed to come togeher. Sheldon's profile appeared in a new window. Now she clicked the video call button next to his profile picture. A ringing sound came out of the speakers while Skype attempted to get in touch with Sheldon's computer. A few seconds later Sheldon had picked up and appeared on Penny's computer screen. He sat in his spot on the couch in apartment 4A with Amy next to him. Behind Sheldon and Amy stood Howard and Bernadette, while Raj sat in Leonard's armchair.

"Hi Penny!" they all greeted in unison and waved at her.

"Hi guys," she exclaimed happily and beckoned back.

"How are you Penny? Is everything okay with you and the baby?" Amy asked.

"I'm fine, thank you. And the baby is doing well," Penny answered with a beaming smile. "I hope you guys are doing well too."

"That's great to hear," Bernadette smiled. "On behalf of us all I can say, we're all doing fine. But you seem extra happy today."

"I am," Penny replied. "And the reason is, I have a special guest tonight."

Sheldon shook his head and sighed. "Oh Penny! Have you replaced Leonard with another man?"

Penny rapidly blinked her eyes. "What? No!" she exclaimed flabbergasted, which made Leonard chuckle, who was still leaning against the doorjamb. She looked over to Leonard and beckoned him over.

Leonard slowly walked over to the couch and sat down beside Penny, who joyfully grasped his right hand. He held up his left hand and waved, a radiant smile on his face. "Hi guys! How are you?"

Leonard and Penny could see how their jaws dropped and literally fell to the floor. No one was able to say a word. Blank astonishment was on the faces of Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj.

Bernadette was the first who find her voice again. "Oh my god, Leonard! You are alive."

In the next moment the voices in apartment 4A in Pasadena exploded. It was boundless joy. Everybody jumped up. They were all in each other's arms. Amy and Bernadette had tears in their eyes. Howard and Raj couldn't stop to high five and Sheldon just stood there with a big smile on his face.

Leonard and Penny looked at each other, rejoicing over their friends reaction. In the next two hours Leonard told his story again plus the new developments regarding the sabbatical and his intention to stay in Nebraska for the time being, to be with Penny and his child. As expected Sheldon wasn't happy about this and he was almost about to ruin the evening with murmur of disapproval, that included words like 'roommate agreement' and 'obligations that had to be revived'. Fortunately Amy was able to save the evening eventually, but only after a great deal of coaxing.

* * *

It was midnight in Nebraska when Leonard and Penny ended the Skype session and went to bed. Outside the landscape had turned into a winter wonderland.

Leonard and Penny lay happily and snugged in bed beneath the blankets. A great Christmas lay ahead of them.

 **To be continued...**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Once again, I want to thank all those who read and/or review.**

 **Here's chapter 12.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 12

The next two days literally flew by. Leonard and Penny were absolutely inseparable and spent the whole time either in Penny's room snugged beneath a blanket or siting on the couch in the living room also snugged beneath a blanket, watching TV.

It was the morning of Christmas eve and the full realization that Leonard had really returned, that he was alive, only sank in Penny's mind in its entirety now. Leonard and Penny sat on the bed in Penny's room. Leonard stroked her baby bump, when he suddenly heard a soft crying. He looked at Penny and saw the tears streaming down her face.

"Penny, what's wrong?" Leonard asked, gently cupping her cheek.

"Don't worry babe. Happy tears, just happy tears," she answered. "You know, I'm so happy that I was granted this luck to have you back in my life, that you are here with me and our baby. Even if I never ever lost hope, I had to take into account that you wouldn't come back. It was a possibility. You could have gotten sick or you could have been seriously injured. But I had the luck that destiny granted my wishes for your return. I'm so happy and thankful for that. And sometimes this happiness and this gratefulness brings me to tears."

Leonard smiled. "I'm happy and thankful too, I could return to you and our baby."

Penny reached out for the tissue box on her nightstand, taking out one. "You know, I even wished upon a star for your return," she smiled, dabbing her eyes.

Leonard leaned over and gave Penny a quick peck on her lips. "You are amazing. You always had hope and never gave up on me."

"How could I give up on the man I love so dearly?" she replied. "But what about you? Did you always have the hope to return or were there times you had lost it?"

Leonard sighed deeply and grasped both of Penny's hands. "I won't lie to you. I have to make a confession. There's one thing I didn't tell you when I told you my story."

He paused for a few moments and took a deep breath, before he continued. "There was a moment I had lost my hope completely. It was after the incident with the plane. I was sitting in my cave and had done the math. And the result was I would never get off that island. It would be my destiny to die there, totally alone and forgotten. I mean, like you said. I could have gotten sick or I could have been seriously injured or something. I had to let you go. I thought there was no reason for you to hope I was still alive. I was such a fool. How could I doubt you? I was sure you had moved on.

Leonard's voice began to break. He was on the verge of tears. "But I didn't want to spent many years in loneliness, worlds apart from the woman I love but not being able to reach her. So, I took the rope that was attached to the life raft and made a noose. Like in a trance I walked around the island and looked for a tree with strong limbs to which I could attach the rope. Penny, I was about to kill myself. I would have abandoned you."

He bursted out crying now and croaked out the next words amid tears, that were running down his face in an endless stream. "Penny, I'm so sorry. I'm so terribly sorry. Please forgive me."

Penny had started to cry again earlier, but it had turned into sobbing by now. "Oh honey, there's nothing to forgive. You did nothing wrong. Please don't blame yourself. You are here. Here with me, right now. That's all that counts."

Penny removed her hand from Leonard's grasp and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. He buried his face into her shoulder and cried, while she held him and cried as well.

Leonard and Penny just held each other and wept freely. After fifteen minutes the crying had lessened at last and Leonard was able to continue to speak. He looked deeply into Penny's wonderful green eyes. "To this day I cannot explain why I wanted to do this. I really can't. It must have been pure despair and hopelessness, that took control over me. I had reached rock bottom. But Penny, then something happened. As I stood in the forest I saw something. I don't know what was going on. Maybe I was hallucinating because of dehydration, as I had refused to drink and eat anything at that time. But I saw you. Like I see you now. You had the sweetest smile on your face. You were like an angel. In fact, you were an angel. In this moment you were my guardian angel, that stopped me from doing a horrible thing. When I saw you, a feeling came over me. It was like a warm blanket. And in this moment I knew I had to stay alive. For you, Penny. I knew I had to keep breathing. So that's what I did. I kept breathing. I stayed alive."

Penny looked at Leonard with a smile on her face. "I see it like this. You lost your way in the darkness, but you managed to pick up the lost way again. There was a light in the dark that guided you back. Back to me and our baby. That's all that matters." She stroked his cheek and kissed him softly.

For a few minutes minutes more they just sat there, in a tender embrace, holding on to each other. Neither of them was willing to let go. It was Leonard who broke their embrace.

He smiled at Penny. "Okay. I think we have shed enough tears for today. Let's be happy again. Agreed?"

Penny nodded. "Agreed!"

"Let's go to the kitchen," Leonard said. "I promised your parents I'll do this year's Christmas dinner. I have sent them to the city to buy the ingredients for a really special and delicious meal."

"Sweetie, you never cease to amaze me," Penny smiled. "In all those years we know each other, I didn't know you were such a good cook. You hid a real talent."

"Well, I had a lot of time to learn to cook, when I was younger. Oh and Raj taught me a lot as well. He's the best astrophysicist who can also cook I know," Leonard winked. "But when I moved to apartment 4A, I couldn't use my cooking skills anymore, since Sheldon insisted on take-out food."

"I can't wait to see, what the best experimental physicist who can also cook will conjure for us," Penny winked back.

"Do you feel like assisting me?" Leonard asked.

Penny was delighted. "Of course, it's an honor to assist the master chef," she chuckled.

* * *

Leonard and Penny went downstairs to the kitchen. All ingredients Leonard had asked for where there, so the work could begin.

After everything that was needed for the Christmas dinner was assembled on the countertop and the kitchen table, Leonard fired the symbolic starting pistol by clapping his hands. "Okay, what we'll do for Christmas dinner is a Herbed Chicken with Beets and Brussels sprouts. I know you are a vegetarian, but maybe you can make an exception for this special occasion?"

"I think that vegetarian thing is not really sincere from my side anyway. You know I love steak. Not really vegetarian food," she chuckled.

Leonard laughed. "That's true."

"And besides, not for anything in the world I want to miss what you're cooking today," Penny added.

"That's what I wanted to hear," Leonard smiled. "Okay, let's see. Can you please stir together the salt, paprika, thyme and pepper?"

While Penny added the spices into a small bowl and began to stir them, Leonard took the chicken out of the fridge. It was a real doozy and probably quite expensive. Fortunately the neck and the giblets were already removed and discarded. He was a good cook, but some aspects of preparing stuff before it could be cooked in the first place wasn't his thing, although he could disembowel a fish without problems now after his time on the island. Something that was quite difficult for him at first. In fact it was Penny who showed him how to do this, when she taught Howard, Raj and Leonard how to fish more than a year ago.

Next the chicken was sprinkled with Penny's stirred salt mixture.

"You stirred the spices together perfectly," Leonard grinned and patted Penny's back.

Penny rolled her eyes. "Thanks honey. Stirring together some spices in a bowl was not that difficult."

Leonard was little bit taken aback. "Umm, this wasn't meant in a sarcastic way."

"I know, sweetie," Penny said with a smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Leonard smiled and pointed at the kitchen utensil next to the fridge. "Can you please grease the slow cooker over there lightly and place the celery, onions, and garlic in it?"

Penny nodded and did what she was told. In the meantime Leonard placed lemon into the cavity of the chicken. Then he tied the chicken legs together with kitchen string and tucked the wingtips under.

Looking at Penny, Leonard washed his hands and wiped them dry with a kitchen towel. "Now you have the honor to put the chicken into the cooker."

Penny smiled radiantly, took the chicken and put it carefully into the cooker with the breast side up. Following this, Leonard arranged and tucked the remaining vegetables around the chicken and sprinkled the remaining salt mixture on them.

Leonard covered the chicked and programmed the cooker. "Since this is a slow cooker, it will take a while now until the chicken is done."

"How long will it take?" Penny asked.

"Well, eight hours," Leonard answered.

Penny was flabbergasted. "Eight hours! Seriously?"

Leonard nodded. "Yep. But don't worry, it will be ready when it's time for dinner tonight." He paused for a moment. "Oh, before I forget it. Will your sister, her husband and your nephew be present as well tonight?"

Penny shook her head. "No, unfortunately they can't make it," she replied. "They are invited to my brother-in-law's family Christmas dinner. And Randall, well, you know how it is."

"Too bad," Leonard said. "In the meantime we tidy up and then we could bake some Christmas cookies. What do you think of that?"

Penny was enthusiastic. "I love Christmas cookies. Let's do it."

Leonard and Penny tidied the kitchen and looked if all ingredients for cookies were available. Much to the delight of them this was the case, and they both got down to work.

A few hours later, literally mountains of cookies were piling up in the kitchen. Wyatt and Susan were amazed about the amount of cookies Leonard and Penny had produced, saying this would be enough for every resident of Nebraska and half of Iowa. Also amazing was the variety of cookies.

Leonard listed them all, while Wyatt and Susan stood in the kitchen, stunning. "Okay, what we have here are Apple Crisp Cookies, Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate-dipped Shortbread Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies, Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies, Whipped Shortbread Cookies, Almond Spritz Press Cookies, Chocolate Cherry Cookies, Russian Tea Cake Cookies, Coconut Macaroons, Cinnamon Cookies and Mint Cookies. And since we only used dark chocolate that contains no lactose, I can eat all the cookies without problems."

After spending some time in the living room with Penny's parents, Leonard and Penny returned to the kitchen to prepare the appetizers and the dessert. Leonard opted for a Crostini Plate as appetizers. The small slices of toasted bread and were covered with toppings, that included a variety of different cheeses, meats, fish, fruits and vegetables. Some of the crostini were rifined with olive oil and herbs or a sauce. The fruits included blueberries, beets, mango and apples, while the vegetables included pickled shallots, avocadoes and artichokes. For dessert Leonard created a Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream Cake, guaranteed dairy-free.

Only a few minutes after the dessert was finished, the slow cooker signalled the chicken was done. While Leonard took it out of the cooker and put it on a serving dish, Penny rubbed the skins from the beets and cut them into quarters. Together they arranged the beets with the other vegetables around the chicken and garnished it with rosemary. Leonard used the remaining cooking juices in the cooker for the sauce, by whisking mustard in them and seasoning them with salt and pepper.

Before the meal was served both Leonard and Penny and Wyatt and Susan got spruced up for the dinner.

The dinner, including the appetizers and the dessert, was a complete success. Wyatt and Susan couldn't stop praising Leonard, and Penny for that matter, for this meal that was more than delicious. It was almost midnight when all went to bed.

* * *

The next morning Leonard stood at the window in Penny's room and looked at the landscape that was covered under a thick blanket of snow. A week earlier he was on a wobbly raft in the tropical heat, on a journey into the unknown. He still couldn't believe he was so lucky. He had not just returned to Penny, he returned to Penny in time for Christmas. It was like she said. This was a real Christmas miracle.

He turned around and looked at Penny, who was still sleeping. With a light smile on her face she looked like an angel. And with her baby bump she was the embodiment of pure beauty for him. Leonard could have looked at her like this for hours, but he had something to do. Walking soft-footed over to the closet, he slowly opened the door and took out a nicely packaged little box. Sneaking out of Penny's room he went downstairs into the living room. Apparently Wyatt and Susan were still sleeping too, as there was complete silence in the house. He walked over to the Christmas tree and placed his little box beneath it.

Before he went back to Penny's room, he took a few cookies from a bowl on the coffee table and put them into the pocket of his robe. Penny was still sleeping, when he was back in her room. Putting down the cookies on her nighstand he climbed back into bed behind her and laid an arm around her waist.

This little touch let Penny awake. She slowly opened her eyes and grasped Leonard's hand that lay on her on pregnant belly. Turning on her other side she looked into the smiling face of her boyfriend. "Good morning, honey. And Merry Christmas," she said with a drowsy voice and smiled back at him.

Leonard beamed. "Good morning, my angel. I wish you a Merry Christmas too."

Penny sat up and stretched herself. "I had an interesting dream before I woke up."

"Yeah? You want to tell me about it?" Leonard asked.

"Sure!" Penny replied. "You and I were sitting on a bench on the side of a soccer field. We were watching a match between two youth teams. Then a woman approached us and asked for the name of the team with the green shirts and the international recycling logo printed on them, as they were playing really good. It was a mixed team with boys and girls. I answered, the name of the team was Hofstadters United. The woman then asked how this name came about. I answered, because the members of this team are all children of Leonard and Penny Hofstadter. Then I woke up."

Leonard chuckled. "Hmm, the children of Leonard and Penny Hofstadter, you say? Well, that means we have at least eleven children, when I remember the size of a soccer team right. And it means you will take my name when we get married. I love the sound of the name Penny Hofstadter."

Penny nodded with a radiant smile on her face. "Me too."

Leonard took Penny's right hand and kissed it. "So you still wanna marry me one day?"

Penny smiled. "Of course."

"But remember our deal." Leonard grinned. "If you are ready to get married someday, you are the one who has to propose to me. And don't forget about the whole nine yards. You have to be down on one knee. I want the whole enchilada."

Penny chuckled. "Yeah, I know. And nothing on a jumbotron. You don't want to cry on a big screen."

Leonard nodded. "That's correct." He leapt out of bed and walked around the bed to offer Penny a hand to get up. "Let's go downstairs. It's time for the handing out of presents."

Penny clapped enthusiastically. "Yes, it is." Climbing out of bed with Leonard's assistance, she noticed the cookies on her nightstand. "Oh, cookies!" She grabbed the cookies and put them all into her mouth.

Leonard had to laugh. "Wow, you are the real cookie monster."

Penny grinned. "Yep. I have this tattoo for a reason," she spoke with her mouth full while crumbs fell out of it.

* * *

Two minutes later they were in the living room and stood in front of the Christmas tree. Leonard was about to get Penny's gift, but Penny was faster and crouched down.

"You have a Christmas gift for me?" Leonard asked surprised and helped Penny to get up again.

"Of course." Penny smiled and handed the nicely wrapped box over to Leonard.

"Thank you." He opened the gift and was stunned. "Wow, that's so cool. A vintage Captain Kirk action figure. Thank you so much." Leonard leaned forward and gave Penny a kiss on her lips.

Penny beamed. Seeing Leonard so happy because of the gift gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling. "Yeah, I remembered how you told me about an online quiz called 'Which Star Trek Character Are You?' and it took you only four tries to get Captain Kirk."

"Aw, Penny! I can't believe you remember this. You are the best girlfriend ever. But I remember you said, if I would keep talking about Captain Kirk, we would all gonna stop," he grinned.

"Yeah, I was a little bit annoyed at that time," she admitted.

"You were," Leonard said, imitating Captain Kirk, which let Penny chuckle. He put the action figure box on the coffee table and went to the Christmas tree, grabbing the gift he put there earlier. "And here's my gift for you."

Penny was surprised. "Oh, Leonard! You shouldn't have."

"It's Christmas. Of course my beautiful girlfriend gets a gift," Leonard said smiling, and gave Penny the present.

Penny carefully removed the wrapping. A little black velvet ring box came to light. She looked at the little box and was struggling for words. "Leonard?"

Her view wandered to her boyfriend. Leonard wasn't standing anymore, but rather down on one knee, holding a beautiful ring in his hand.

 **To be continued...**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: In this chapter an eventful year for Leonard and Penny comes to a close, but the story itself is far from over. Thanks to all who read this little story and take time to write a review.**

 **Okay, here's chapter 13. It's a rather short chapter, but I hope you still like it.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 13

Penny looked at the shiny ring in front of her, that Leonard held in his hand. Confusion was written all over her face. "But...but Leonard," she stammered. "I...I thought we had an agreement. We agreed, I would be the one who would ask you to marry me, when I'm ready."

Leonard suddenly thought, that surprising Penny with a proposal on Christmas morning was a really bad idea. Indeed they had an agreement. He even mentioned it himself just a few minutes before because of Penny's dream. But after his seven-month ordeal on the island he didn't want to waste any more time or wait until she was ready to marry him. The confused expression on Penny's face told him, he should have sticked to the agreement. "Umm, yeah...I know. Well, I thought..."

Seeing the disappointment on his face, Penny got on her knees as quick as her baby bump made it possible and with both of her hands she clasped Leonard's hand that held the ring. "Leonard, I'm ready. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

A radiant smile returned to Leonard's face, while Penny continued to speak. "Leonard, honey, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. After all the terrible mistakes I made, after all those times I hurt you so bad, I realized how lucky I was you wanted to try it again with me, to put up with all my shortcomings and issues." Tears now started well up in her eyes and her voice started to break. "I almost lost you once, and then I almost lost you again. The last seven months made it clear to me, that life's too short to stall decisions. You are so sweet, kind, caring and smart. The fact that you are in my life turned me into a better person. No way I will ever let you go." She looked deeply into Leonard's wonderful brown eyes, which had become moist by now. "Leonard, will you marry me?"

That unique smile, to which only Leonard was capable of appeared on his face now. "Yes, Penny. I will marry you."

Penny beamed and let out a joyful squeal. But this special moment in Leonard and Penny's life wasn't over yet. Being the perfect gentleman, Leonard helped Penny to get up on her feet again and let her sit on the armchair next to the coffee table. Happy tears were now freely rolling down her face.

Leonard smiled, a single tear finding its way down his cheek. "Since you're the one who proposed, I should be the one who gets the ring," he winked.

Penny pursed her lips. "But this rings looks so great," she playfully pouted.

"You're right, this ring suits you better. Shiny diamond jewelry is not really my thing," Leonard grinned. "So let's do this again in traditional style. Okay?" Penny nodded with a giggle and he got down on one knee again, still holding the ring in his right hand. "Penny, I know it sounds clichéd, but it's the truth. In the moment I first laid my eyes on you on the day you moved in that apartment across the hall you put a spell on me and I immediately fell in love with you. Then we became best friends and then we became girlfriend and boyfriend. I was happy as never before. Then we broke up and I thought my life was over."

The last sentence let Penny start to sob. "I'm so sorry, I did this to you. I hurt you so bad," she said amid tears.

Leonard put the ring in his left hand, so he could use his right hand to wipe away the tears on Penny's face and to tuck a strain of her golden hair behind her ear. "No, Penny. You don't have to be sorry. It's okay." He smiled and paused for a moment to look deeply into Penny's gorgeous green eyes. "I never stopped loving you, Penny. Never! And then we got back together. I couldn't believe that I was so lucky to get a second chance to be with you. To be with the most beautiful girl in the world, whose beauty is not just outside but also in the inside. I know, we had some initial problems after we got back together, but we solved them. Then I was trapped on that island for seven months. I thought I would never see you again, but destiny had something else in mind for this short, bespectacled and asthmatic guy. I was granted a chance to return to you, to live my life with you. And yes, I want to live this life with you until the end of my days. I promise, I will always be there for you, I will always protect you and I will always love you. So, let me ask this question too. Penny, will you marry me?"

Penny had already started to tear up again. "Oh my god, yes. Yes, Leonard. A million times yes. I love you so much."

Now the happy tears that had welled up in Leonard's eyes began to freely stream down his face, while he put the ring on Penny's finger. "I love you, too."

Penny sank on her knees again and pulled Leonard in for a long kiss. Then she engulfed Leonard in a tight hug, burying her face in his shoulder. For a few minutes they just held each other, savoring the inceredible happiness they both felt in this moment.

"Oh, by the way. When did you get a ring?" Penny asked when she pulled away from Leonard.

Leonard chuckled. "I've had it for a couple years, not important."

Penny was truly amazed. "You are one of a kind, do you know that?"

Leonard smiled and helped Penny to get up.

In this moment Wyatt and Susan entered the living room. "Merry Christmas," they greeted in unison.

Leonard and Penny greeted back in unison. "Merry Christmas."

Only seconds later, Susan discovered the ring on Penny's finger. "Oh my god," she squealed. "Is this an engagement ring?"

Penny nodded, a happy smile on her face. "Yes, mom."

Susan walked over to her daughter and hugged her. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so happy for you." Turning to Leonard she hugged him as well. "And for you too, Leonard."

"Now that's a nice Christmas surprise," Wyatt said with a smile and wrapped his arms around Penny. Then he walked over to Leonard and gave Leonard a bear hug. "Congratulations, son."

"Thanks, sir. I guess I have your blessing?" Leonard asked.

"You betcha!" Wyatt replied. "It will be a pleasure to welcome you to our family."

"This is a beautiful ring," Susan raved. "Good choice, Leonard."

"It is truly a feast for the eyes, isn't it?" Penny swooned.

"Well, we have to celebrate," Wyatt said happily. "I invite you two kids to a great dinner in the coming days."

* * *

For Leonard and Penny the remainder of the Christmas holidays was like a dream. The newly engaged couple was on cloud nine. Nothing could temper their delight. They undertook strolls in the snow-covered landscape around the farm, had nice snugged TV evenings under warm blankets and their love making was awesome. Penny was insatiable, and it was only a question of time until her bed would get broken.

When they told Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj about their engagement during their next skype session, all were excited and happy for Leonard and Penny, even Sheldon. Of course he wasn't able to completely stop uttering some remarks again about breaching roommate agreements and other stuff. Gladly, a few thousand miles of distance between Sheldon and Leonard let those remarks come to nothing.

Three days after Wyatt's promise to invite his daughter and his future son-in-law to an engagement celebration, he could deliver on his promise. Wyatt had managed to get a reservation at one of the best restaurants in Omaha. The food there was delicious, but afterwards Penny and her parents agreed that Leonard could prepare a meal that would be at least as good as the one in the restaurant.

Another cause for rejoicing was, that everything was more than okay with the baby. Leonard and Penny couldn't wait to become parents. Her due date was just a few weeks away.

* * *

It was the morning of New Year's Eve. Leonard and Penny sat in the small TV room on the second floor and talked about names for their baby. Each of them had made a list and now they wanted to read the names to each other they had written on it.

Penny looked at Leonard with a stern facial expression. "Okay, before we start. I have one condition. No movie or TV characters. So, no Luke or Leia."

Leonard chuckled. "Hey, you know Luke and Leia."

Penny blushed a little. "Umm...well."

Leonard had to grin. "Well it seems, our long Star Wars evenings and marathons have rubbed off on you. But, okay. No movie or TV characters."

"Good," Penny said with a smile. "What names do you have?"

"How about Ross and Rachel."

Penny raised a brow. "I like Friends, but I said, no TV characters either."

"This was just a test," Leonard replied with a cheesy grin. Then he folded out a piece of paper. "Okay, I have Alexander, Cameron, Ian, James and John if it's a boy. In case we get a little girl I thought of Aubrey, Bridget, Christine, Kaylee and Lily."

"Oh, some really cute names," Penny said. "But you tried to sneak in a TV slash movie character name," she winked.

Leonard grinned broadly. "Oh, really? Whis is?"

"James," Penny answered matter-of-factly.

"James?"

"Yeah. James Tiberius Kirk. From Star Trek. You even have a action figure of him now."

"What do you say," Leonard grinned. "It seems my fiancée, has basic Star Wars and Star Trek knowledge after all. Who's the nerd now?"

Penny chuckled. "Wipe that smug smile off your face."

Leonard made a wiping hand movement. "Alrighty. But now let me hear your names."

"Okay." Penny took her piece of paper and read Leonard the names from her list. "Here they come. Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Isabella, Victoria for a girl. Noah, Anthony, Aiden, William, Liam for a boy. What do you think?"

"I like all those names," Leonard answered. "That's gonna be a tough decision."

Penny nodded. "I like the sound of Sophia Christine Hofstadter, or Noah Cameron Hofstadter."

"Yeah, these names sound really good," Leonard agreed. Sophia is the greek word for wisdom by the way. I really like this name, especially in combination with Christine as middle name. But let's try other combinations ones too."

"Emma Aubrey?"

"Or Aubrey Emma?"

Penny frowned. "That sounds strange."

"Well, Emma Aubrey sounds strange too."

Penny took a new piece of paper and wrote down more names. "What about Briana, Hannah or Sarah for a girl?"

Leonard looked at Penny with a disconcerting look on his face. "Hannah? You mean like Hannah Montana, seriously?"

"You know Hannah Montana?" Penny asked surprised.

"Umm...Just from zapping around on the TV," Leonard squirmed.

"Okay, no Hannah." Penny grinned and read Leonard the other new names she had written down. "I also have George, Max or Benjamin for a boy."

"Oh, George. Like George Lucas."

"Of course you had to think of George Lucas," Penny chuckled.

In the following two hours Leonard and Penny went back and forth with many more names and combinations. After some heated discussions and lot of crumpled-up pieces of paper, they had found names that they both liked equally.

"Boy, this was really a tough decision," Penny exclaimed relieved.

"You can say that again! If Sheldon would be here, he would draw up a paper now to put our decision down in writing," Leonard chuckled.

Penny nodded. "Yep. But fortunately he isn't here," she said and took a sip of the water that stood on the table in front of her.

"So, Emma Amelia if it's a girl, and Liam John if it's a boy."

"Exactly."

* * *

A few hours later, Leonard and Penny stood on the porch of the farm house, huddled up to one another. In a few minutes the year 2013 would come to a close. For both it was a year that included times where they were on top of the world and down in the dumps. Since Leonard's return, with the prospect of becoming parents soon and being engaged they were on top of the world of course.

The fireworks had already started and bathed the snowy winter scenery into a magical light. One of the neighbors had obviously put a lot of effort into a special fireworks presentation. Leonard and Penny were delighted by all the effects.

"Leonard, this is beautiful," Penny raved, with her head resting on Leonard's shoulder.

"It is," Leonard agreed. "But the most beautiful here is you."

"Aw, Leonard. You are so sweet." Penny turned her head and gave her fiancé a peck on his cheek.

Leonard smiled and gave Penny a squeeze. Then he looked a his new watch and a few moments later he began to count down the seconds. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year."

He turned to Penny and gently cupped her cheek. Leaning forward, Leonard kissed her softly. With Penny linking her hands together behind Leonard's neck, their kissing quickly intensified and became truly passionate. When they broke the kiss to gasp for breath, they looked each other deeply in the eyes. "Happy New Year, Leonard," Penny softly panted. "I love you."

Leonard was mesmerized by Penny's wonderful sparkling green eyes, in which he could see the reflections of the fireworks. "I love you, too."

They looked at the fireworks for a few minutes more, Wyatt and Susan joining them. A great new year was waiting for Leonard and Penny.

 **To be continued...**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: In the last chapter Leonard and Penny had chosen names for their baby, and Penny said she didn't want names that are characters from movies or TV shows. Well, I have learned that Emma is the name of Ross and Rachel's baby girl from the TV show "Friends". Since I never really watched this show properly I completely forgot about that. ;-) I will adress this case right at the beginning of this chapter.**

 **Again, thanks to all who read this little story and take time to write a review.**

 **Here's chapter 14. It's rated M, so be forewarned.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 14

The new year started with Leonard and Penny binge watching the TV show _Friends_. Wyatt and Susan had made their daughter a present of the complete series on Blu-ray for Christmas. Sitting in the small second living room on the upper floor in front of the flat screen TV, they were just watching episode 24 of season 8.

Leonard looked at Penny and raised a brow. "So, no characters from TV shows, huh?"

Penny blushed and looked as if she was caught stealing an apple from a tree in the neighbor's garden. "Umm...well."

"You're wasting your breath!" Leonard scoffed. "Emma Geller-Green is a character from a TV show. I bet you knew that, but you wanted to smuggle in the name Emma, because you knew I'm not familiar with 'Friends'. A clear case of double standards."

Penny smiled sheepishly. "Guilty as charged. Please don't be mad at me. I just love this name. We...we can change it, if you want it."

Leonard smiled brightly and leaned over to his fiancée, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. "No, it's okay. I love Emma too. Who knows, Liam is probably a character in movie or a TV show as well." he chuckled. "Let's be happy with the names we have agreed on and forget this movie or TV character thing. What do you think of that?"

Penny nodded and smiled happily. "Agreed!"

* * *

Huddled up to one another, they continued to watch. The episode was soon over, and Leonard got up from the couch to change the discs, as season 9 of _Friends_ was next. When he returned to the couch, he noticed that Penny's shirt, which had a quite low neckline, was askew, revealing one of her bra-covered breasts. It was turning him on, and it didn't take long until a special region of his body reacted.

All the while Penny's eyes were glued to the TV screen, but suddenly she felt a hand under her shirt. "Leonard, what are you doing?" she giggled.

Leonard didn't answer. He continued to roam underneath Penny's shirt with his hands. Gently stroking Penny's baby bump, before slowly moving up to her breasts, Leonard had started to kiss her special spot below the ear. His tongue stroked the sensitive skin and sent extremely pleasant shivers through her body. "Oh, Leonard," she moaned and let her upper body fall back into the couch. "My parents could come in here every moment."

"I want you. Now." Leonard groaned.

Penny was surprised by Leonard's sudden arousal of sexual desire. What has triggered this? "Leonard, What's gotten into you? I'm not wearing glasses and I haven't said 'Molecules' nor am I wearing a 'Sleeping Beauty' costume," she gasped out, while Leonard continued to kiss her neck. This taking charge attitude turned her on immensely.

Next, Leonard's lips moved from Penny's neck to her mouth. He began to kiss her vigorously, his tounge seeking entrance into Penny's mouth, which she granted immediately. Their tongues performed a wild dance, as they literally intertwined.

"Do you want me stop?" Leonard asked, when they broke their kiss to gasp for air.

Penny let out a deep moan. "Don't you dare!" She felt herself getting moist and her arousal went sky high. "Leonard, babe," she panted. "Let's go to my bedroom. Okay?"

Leonard took Penny's hand and led her to her room. He closed the door and they continued to kiss passionately, while their hands roamed around each other's body. After a few minutes Penny raised her arms, to make it easier for Leonard to take off her shirt. Letting it fall to the ground, he took off his own sweater and t-shirt, which landed next to Penny's shirt.

Leonard's ministrations went on, as he explored every inch of Penny's upper body with his hands and his lips, generating pleasant goose bumps. While Penny savored the blissful sensations, she opened Leonard's belt which let his pants fall down. Stepping out of them, he kicked them away and opened Penny's bra. He began to lick the nipple of her left breast. After a few moments he continued with the right one. "Leonard!" Penny moaned and threw her head backwards, feeling waves of ecstasy building up inside of her. With a swift move he yanked down Penny's panties and sweatpants, so she was almost completely naked, except for her socks.

"You look so beautiful with your baby bump," Leonard said and put Penny on her bed and took off her socks.

She shifted her bottom to the foot of the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she lay back and bent her knees. Leonard took off his shorts, went down on his knees and spread her legs apart. Leonard moved up along the inside of Penny's thighs with his mouth, licking and kissing her soft skin. Stopping for a moment, he looked deeply into Penny's eyes, that were almost completely black from arousal. He continued his gentle exploration of Penny's body with kissing and stroking her baby bump, before he finally positioned himself and slowly joined with her.

Leonard started to thrust at a slow pace, each thrust eliciting a soft moan from Penny. "You are so beautiful, Penny," he gasped and began to increase the pace of his movements. Immersed in their passionate love making, everything around them seemed to disappear. Feelings of pure bliss rushed through both of their their bodies. It must have been at least thirty minutes, before Leonard's movements began to became somewhat erratic. Penny felt her fiancé pulsing within her, a clear sign he was on the edge of an orgasm.

"Not yet, babe," Penny moaned. "Not yet."

Leonard, who was always determined to put Penny first in every aspect of their life, their love life being no exception, slowed down for a while, before continuing to speed up again, which let Penny finally climax. Waves of pleasure streamed through her, which were accompanied by an involuntary loud moan. "Oh my god, Leonard," she exclaimed. The movements of her inner walls let Leonard fall over the edge too. A deep groan, signalled the reaching of his climax, which was so strong it induced a second, even stronger orgasm for Penny. She shuddered fiercely and almost fainted, as further giant waves of pleasure rushed through her body again.

Breathing laboredly, Leonard collapsed forward on Penny's pregnant belly. For a few minutes they just stayed in their position, panting but more than satisfied. As both slowly came down from their high, Leonard gently stroked Penny's stomach, both too exhausted to speak at the moment.

It was Penny who spoke first, lifting up her upper body. "Wow! Babe, that was amazing," she smiled, kissing Leonard softly on his lips.

Leonard smiled back at her. "That's the way I like TV evenings."

* * *

The following weeks were characterized by Penny's pregnancy nearing its end. For Penny it was tough at times, but also very exciting and special. She had heard a lot of horror stories of labor and deliveries, as well as quite a few negative comments about how lousy the last few weeks of pregnancy were. She knew that giving birth wouldn't be a walk in the park, but with Leonard by her side to support and protect her, all travails should be easily accomplished. Wyatt and Susan were a strong support since the day Penny learned she was pregnant anyway.

With the help of her parents, but especially through Leonard's unconditional support and love, Penny didn't allow that she would get sucked into the naysaying, but instead focused on ways to make the last weeks of her pregnancy an exciting and even enjoyable experience.

A problem, however, was finding sleep. The first nights after Leonard had returned, Penny was able to sleep well again. It had probably a lot to do with having him in her bed again and by her side after those long months of being apart, not knowing if he was alive or not. But with the end of the Christmas days, the old problem of finding sleep came back.

Finding a comfortable position to fall asleep in was like looking for a needle in a haystack. So, Penny used every opportunity to sit or lie to get rest during the day, as a little compensation for the times she couldn't fall off to a peaceful sleep at night. But in comparison with what would be waiting for her regarding sleep, as soon as the baby would be there, her sleep patterns in the last weeks of pregnancy probably had the regularity of a bathroom schedule by Sheldon Cooper. When nothing else worked to fall asleep, Penny asked Leonard for some nice and long backrubs. Those helped almost everytime to lull her to sleep.

But despite all this, and the difficult times when Penny was physically uncomfortable and exhausted, as well as times she was an emotional wreck wondering how she would manage to endure labor and the birth itself, she never lost her path to stay as positive as possible. To achieve this, Penny pampered herself and did a few little things she truly enjoyed. Like getting a pedicure and a manicure in a nail salon, visiting a beauty parlor to get makeup advice or just sat down and read a good book or her favorite magazine while enjoying a cup of hot tea.

She also began to write herself a letter as her due date approached. This letter included how she was feeling, her hopes and dreams for the new baby, and what she was looking forward to during the first few months. She wanted to keep the letter to share it with her grown kid when the time would be right.

While Penny gave herself a treat, Leonard was out and about, shopping for things to present to her in the hospital after their baby was born. He chose a sentimental card and other cute gifts. At home he hid the stuff securely in a box and placed it in the attic.

* * *

January was nearing its end and Penny's maternity leave had begun. Although Penny was now at home all day, it was a time of high activity. She had started to prepare the birth announcements and once her bundle of joy would have arrived, she could send them to her friends and family. Opting for traditional paper cards instead of electronic ones, the first step was to find a nice design and layout. It was a quite difficult task, more than finding a nice baby journal. She and Leonard painstakingly went through offers in the internet and in stores specialized in baby stuff. At the end they designed the layout themselves and let them produce in a print shop.

Penny took advantage of these last few weeks of pregnancy to marvel at her body, to enjoy feeling the baby kick and move inside of her and to relish the special time she still had alone with Leonard. It would be a wonderful change for her and Leonard, as soon as the baby would come, but now it was a time to celebrate the time before that change would come.

In these last few weeks of pregnancy Leonard and Penny also got closer as a couple, if that was even possible. Both felt, that their love for each other became stronger and stronger. They loved each other to pieces. In this time in particular Leonard was the best father-to-be one could imagine. Penny couldn't believe how lucky she was to have someone like him, now that she was in the home stretch. Leonard really got in sync with Penny and understood her needs. When she just needed a hug or wanted him to hold her hand and reassure her that everything would going to be just fine, he sensed it and was on the spot. If Penny had a bad day Leonard did everything to make her feel better. Sometimes just offering to listen and a nice foot or shoulder rub was enough to lighten up her mood. Her fiancé helped Penny to get through morning sickness, weird cravings, crazy mood swings, a readjusted sex life, and a lot more. Leonard was always understanding and supportive. He never lost his patience and was Penny's rock to which she could lean on. He was perfect, and to top it all they would marry and become a little family very soon.

* * *

Leonard and Penny had decided to invite the gang over to Nebraska for a baby welcome party child during a Skype session. Penny's due date was mid February, so they asked their friends to keep time free for the second half of the month. Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj all happily accepted the invitation.

"We are all looking forward to seeing your little bundle of joy," Bernadette said.

"Yes, but make sure you comply with all hygiene requirements," Sheldon threw in.

Penny rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, we will."

"Have you decided upon a name?" Amy wanted to know.

"Emma, if it's a girl and Liam if it's boy," Leonard replied.

"Aw, cute names," Bernadette exclaimed joyfully.

"Do you have any preferences. Boy or Girl?" Raj asked.

"We take whatever comes," Penny chuckled.

"Penny, I bet you'd prefer a girl," Howard grinned. "So you could dress her up in different princess outfits."

"That's not true," Penny objected. "A baby is not a real life Barbie doll."

"If you get a girl, you will dread the day your daughter notices boys," Amy laughed.

Leonard chuckled. "If we get a girl we will ban her from dating until she is 25." He looked at Penny. "Right?"

"Let's say 21," Penny smirked. "No, seriously. All we want is a healthy baby no matter the gender."

"Of course. It won't be long until you know if it's a boy or a girl," Bernadette said.

They continued to talk about all sort of things for an hour, until a yawn by Penny signalled that it was time to come to an end. They said good bye to each other and Leonard ended the session.

Penny clung to Leonard, took his hand and laid it on her baby bump. "Leonard, honey," she spoke softly. "Thank you."

Leonard tilted his head and kissed Penny's temple. "Thank you?"

Penny looked at Leonard and smiled. "Yes, thank you. Thank you for being there for me and our baby."

Leonard just smiled and kissed Penny softly. He took her hand and they went to their bedroom. It was their bedroom now, not Penny's bedroom anymore, since Leonard now practically lived there.

Penny sat down on their bed and looked at her fiancé with a radiant smile. "I think I haven't told you today that I love you."

Leonard responded with his special smile, that was exclusively reserved for Penny. "I love you, too."

* * *

It was mid February. Leonard and Penny had a wonderful Valentine's day. Since Penny wasn't in the condition to go to a restaurant, Leonard had cooked a special Valentine's day dinner for her, that was very well received.

Now, a few days later, they sat in the living room and watched TV. Penny's due date had passed and labor could begin at any minute. And then it happened.

Penny looked over to Leonard. "Honey, I think it's starting."

 **To be continued...**

 **A/N: I don't think I give away too much when I say this story will include Leonard and Penny's wedding in a future chapter. In this regard let me tell you, that while everything before the beginning of chapter 1 (resp. episode 6.24) is canon, I will ignore the Penny/Zack Las Vegas wedding in season 4 that the writers retroactively inserted in season 7. It didn't happen in my canon.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thanks again to all who read this little story and take time to write a review.**

 **Here's chapter 15.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 15

Leonard immediately put the small water bottle he held in his hand on the coffee table in front of him. "Do you feel contractions?" he asked.

Penny nodded and took a deep breath. "Yes. I feel something right now. It feels like a tightening in the pelvic area. I think it's a contraction. But it's pretty mild. Not very bad."

Leonard grasped Penny's hand. "Okay, babe. Just try to relax. If this is a contraction and your early labor phase has begun, we still have plenty of time until we have to drive to the hospital."

"Yes," Penny replied. "Early labor normally lasts approximately 8 to 12 hours." She took another deep breath. "It's over again."

Leonard took his smartphone, that lay on the table and opened a stopwatch app. "We have to keep track and see if these contractions become regular and stronger." He started the app and put his phone on the table next to the water bottle. Giving Penny a squeeze, they continued to watch TV.

Almost thirty minutes passed by, until Penny felt something again. "Here's the next one," she exclaimed.

Leonard looked at his smartphone. "28 Minutes," he said and started the stopwatch app again. "Your water is empty. I bring you a new bottle."

Penny nodded and smiled, mouthing a silent 'thank you'.

Leonard went to the kitchen to get a new water bottle for Penny, when Wyatt and Susan came in through the back door.

"Hello, son," Wyatt greeted him and patted his shoulder. Susan, who was directly behind her husband smiled at him. Wyatt looked at the kitchen clock and shook his head. "Wow, it's twelve o'clock. Time for lunch. We have spent four hours in the stable with the horses."

Leonard turned to Wyatt and Susan. "Penny's having her first contractions."

"How many so far and in what time intervals?" Susan wanted to know.

"Only two so far, and the time between them was 28 minutes," Leonard answered.

"Oh, okay." Susan said in a relaxed voice. "There's no need to rush to the hospital yet."

* * *

During the next few hours Leonard was a calming influence for Penny and offered comfort, reassurance, and support. He suggested  
simple activities that draw her focus from the labor, like playing board games or walking a few steps in the yard. Although it was mid February, the temperatures were relatively mild. Except for a few remains, the snow had melted and it was dry. Even the sun was shining, which let a premonition of the upcoming spring emerge. Penny enjoyed the comfort of the familiar surroundings at home and also did some simple routines around the house.

In the late afternoon, after Penny had a relaxing warm bath and had savored the ministrations of nice backrubs by Leonard, the contractions began to grow more intense and followed a regular pattern. They also lasted longer and occured in shorter intervals.

It was six o'clock in the evening. Penny and Leonard sat on the couch in the living room together with Wyatt and Susan and watched TV. Suddenly Penny felt a slight trickle. "I think my water just broke," she said.

Susan immediately got up and walked to the kitchen to get a clean towel to put it underneath her daughter, while Leonard jumped to his feet. "We have to drive to the hospital," he exclaimed in a sightly excited voice.

"Honey," Penny said. "There's no need to rush. We have still plenty of...Ouuuch!"

Leonard immediately sat down beside Penny again and grasped her hands. "Penny! What's wrong?" Leonard bursted out, deep concern written all over his face.

"It's okay, honey," Penny smiled and kissed Leonard's hand. "This contraction was just a little more intense than the ones before. There's still no need to rush to the hospital."

"But in the hospital they can monitor you and the baby and they can give you something against the pain," Leonard replied. "Please, let's go to the hospital. Okay?"

Penny seemed to think for a few moments, then she nodded. "Okay. Let's go to the hospital."

Leonard called Penny's midwife at the hospital and informed her that they would come. Wyatt took the bag with clothes and other personal stuff, that Penny had already prepared for her hospital stay and put it in the car.

It became a little bit busy, as Leonard, Wyatt and Susan ran around in the house or out of the house and in the house again. Penny still sat on the couch with a towel underneath her. Despite the pain she was having, she stayed calm and observed all the fuss around her with a slight amusement. At the same time the contractions, that were already quite intense for a while now, became more intense now.

Outside the house, Wyatt prepared the car for Penny's transport to the hospital by putting a clean towels on the back seat. While Wyatt did this, Leonard could bring his gifts for Penny, which he had hidden in the attic to the car under the radar and put them in the trunk. Susan had stayed with her daughter, and gave her Paracetamol to relieve the pain.

"Okay, we're ready," Leonard said and took Penny by the hand to guide her to the car that was parked directly in front of the porch. Opening the door for his fiancée, Penny entered the car and took a seat on the back seat. Smiling, Leonard sat down next to her and held her hand.

Penny smiled back at him. "In a few hours you are a daddy."

"And you are a mommy," he replied and kissed her gently.

While Wyatt started the car, Susan turned around on the passenger seat and looked at Penny and Leonard on the back seat. Seeing the love and affection between her daughter and her future son-in-law made her smile and gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling. She was happy that Penny had found such a wonderful man.

* * *

On the way to the hospital Penny had another intense contraction, but Leonard's presence next to her, with him holding her hand, gently rubbing her back and whispering soothing, encouraging words calmed her down, so the pain was bearable.

Twenty minutes later they had arrived at the hospital, that was located near downtown Omaha. After registering and filling in some forms, Leonard, Penny and Penny's parents had to wait for another twenty minues to get into triage. As soon as Penny was in triage she was hooked up, so the baby's heartbeat could be monitored. Then Penny's midwife, a very friendly woman in her late fifties, arrived. At first she confirmed that Penny's water had broken. She also palpated her tummy and confirmed the baby was head down. A look on the screen that monitored the baby's heartbeat showed her that everything was okay.

After a doctor also looked at Penny and examined her, she was brought to a special prenatal hospital room. There, Penny and Leonard sat on the bed, while Wyatt and Susan sat down at a table. Leonard, who held Penny's hand during the whole time felt that she was suddenly squeezing his hand very tight. Penny had a very strong contraction. Her face turned beet-red and she breathed heavily. After one minute the contraction was over, but the next one followed five minutes later. Penny had entered the second stage of labor.

Leonard stroked her hand and smiled at Penny. "I think it's a good time now to start the breathing techniques you have learned in the prenatal classes. I go through the techniques with you, okay?"

Penny nodded and as soon as the next contraction had started, she began to make use of the breathing techniques she had learned. Between contractions she tried a few relaxation exercises, which were quite helpful. But the most helpful was Leonard. He gave the soon-to-be mom his undivided attention and offered her verbal reassurance and encouragement. He also massaged her abdomen and lower back and kept track of the contractions, which felt stronger and lasted longer with each time. He did everything to make her comfortable, by propping pillows when she was sitting on the bed, getting her water or just applying touch. He also provided distractions from labor such as music, reading a book, playing a simple card game or walking around with her hand in hand in the room and on the hospital corridors.

* * *

At eleven o'clock in the evening, Penny started to experience strong and painful contractions that lasted 90 seconds with only a one minute rest between them.

Leonard promptly called Penny's midwife who ran into the room and examined Penny. "Okay, we need to go to the delivery room. Your cervix has dilated enough to say the transition phase has begun."

Penny was put in a wheelchair and quickly brought to the delivery rooms, that were located on the same floor. All the while Leonard walked next to her, holding her hand and spoke encouraging words. "Penny, babe, I know this may be hard to do, but try to think 'one contraction at a time'. Remember how far you have already come. You are the best. I love you."

Penny nodded, breathing in a pumping way. "Love you too."

Wyatt and Susan went to the waiting room on the same floor, as they were not allowed to be in the delivery room due to the hospital's policy.

A short time later, they had arrived the labor ward, where Penny lay down on the delivery bed. The bright fluorescent lights in the delivery room contrasted strongly with the dimmed lighting of the prenatal room, which dazzled Penny, so she asked to turn down the lights a bit. Leonard took place on a seat next to the bed, never let go of Penny's hand. They smiled at each other. Leonard kissed Penny's forehead and gently rubbed her back, trying to comfort Penny, knowing the most challenging phase had come for her, physically and emotionally.

Penny's midwife took a seat on the other side of the bed and discussed the further proceedings with Penny, while a labor and delivery nurse came in to assist and set up all instruments that were needed. She was also responsible for checking Penny's progression and to monitor the baby.

"Okay, Penny, this is the hardest phase but also the shortest. But with your wonderful fiancé and father-to-be at your side everything will be fine," the midwife softly spoke and smiled at Penny and Leonard. Then she turned to Penny again with an ecouraging smile. "I'm sure he will provide all emotional, mental and physical support, you will need to master this without a problem."

Penny nodded and looked lovingly at Leonard. "Yes, he will. Absolutely! He's the best."

Leonard smiled and gently stroked Penny's cheek.

The midwife was touched by the love and affection Leonard and Penny showed for each other. "You may experience hot flashes, chills, nausea, vomiting or gas during the transition. That's normal and nothing to worry about," she explained.

During the next thirty minutes, Penny contractions were long, strong and really intense. She squeezed Leonard's hand so tight that it became quite painful, but he knew it was nothing compared to what Penny was experiencing. Leonard offered Penny as much support and praise as possible. He continued breathing with her and helped to guide her through her contractions with encouragement. He also encouraged her to relax in the short rests between contractions. Penny occasionally yelled at Leonard, but she apologized immediately, telling him she didn't mean it. Leonard just smiled and told her, there would be no reason to apologize. He knew it was a normal part of the transition phase.

Penny herself was wondering that she was able to invoke that much physical and emotional strength to bear the contractions. Her body unleashed an incredible power within that she enjoyed to feel. And she was sure that Leonard's presence together with his unequivocal encouragement and support was a very important and necessary factor to release this power in the first place.

* * *

It was 11.40 p.m. when the second stage of the delivery had begun.

"The cervix is fully dilated," the midwife said. "Penny, your baby is now ready to enter this world," she smiled.

Leonard and Penny looked at each other and beamed. Leonard took a tissue and dabbed off the sweat from Penny's forehead. "It won't be long now. Our baby will be there soon."

Penny nodded and gave Leonard a radiant smile.

"Okay, Penny. Until this point, your body has been doing all the work for you. Now that your cervix has fully dilated, it is time for you to help your baby to enter the world by pushing," the midwife told her.

The contractions still lasted about 90 seconds, but the intervals of rest in between became longer again. Leonard of course continued to help to guide her through the contractions. It didn't take long and Penny felt a strong natural urge to push, but also a strong pressure at her rectum.

Leonard helped Penny to relax and be as comfortable as possible. He gave her ice chips and provided physical support in her pushing position that used gravity to her advantage.

Every time Penny felt the urge to push, she pushed with all her energy, while Leonard praised her, giving her verbal encouragement by telling her how well she was doing. "Penny, babe. You are doing great. You are the best."

Between contractions Penny rested, which help her to regain strength for the next push.

Penny kept on pushing with the contractions. At one point she had the feeling like she needed to urinate. "I think I have to wee."

"Just let it run. That's okay," the midwife smiled. "It's more or less unavoidable during this phase of the delivery.

Fifteen minutes after midnight, the baby's head became visible, as the baby was crowning. This triggered a burning, stinging sensation, but the midwife had told Penny about it earlier, so she was prepared. The labor and delivery nurse took a mirror, so Penny could see the slowly appearing head of her baby, which was very encouraging.

Leonard kissed Penny's hand, as tears were forming in his eyes. Being witness of a childbirth, the birth of his own child, was overwhelming. Seeing the tears welling up in Leonard's eyes, Penny felt a rush of love, that let the strong love she already felt for him growing stronger, if that was even possible.

Penny kept pushing, and inch by inch the baby was entering the world. At 12.20 a.m. the baby's head was out. Head and shoulders turned to face her side, allowing the baby to easily slip out. Tears of happiness and relief shot into Penny and Leonard's eyes. It was 12.21.a.m. Emma Hofstadter had entered the world.

* * *

"It's a girl," the midwife proclaimed. Leonard and Penny beamed. While tears of joy ran down Penny's face, Leonard tried hard to blink his tears away.

The midwife lifted the baby girl onto Penny's stomach, so she could be close to her mother straight away.

"Look, Leonard," Penny said amid tears, looking at her daughter, who calmly breathed. "Isn't this the most beautiful girl in the world."

It was hard for Leonard to find words. He was overwhelmed. "Yes," he nodded. His voice was breaking. "Yes, Penny. The most beautiful girl in the world."

Penny gently stroked her daughter's tiny cheeks. "Look, Emma. This is your daddy."

Leonard couldn't hold back the happy tears any longer and started to cry. "Hi Emma." He carefully touched his daughter's hands and stroked them gently.

After a few minutes, the cord was clamped and cut and the midwife dried Emma to stop her from getting cold. She wrapped her in a blanket and passed her over to Penny again, so she could cuddle her daughter.

Penny cuddled Emma for a few minutes, but had to hand her over to her father, so the midwife could take care of the delivery of the placenta. This happened quite quickly, and other than some severe shaking and shivering after the placenta was delivered, a common symptom and not a cause for concern, this last stage went off without any problems.

* * *

While Penny and Emma were transferred to a private postpartum room after all necessary examinations and treatments for the mother and her child were done, Leonard went to the waiting room and told Wyatt and Susan the happy news that they had a granddaughter now. Wyatt and Susan were overjoyed and hugged Leonard heartily, congratulating him on his joys of fatherhood. Leonard also told them where they could find the private postpartum room, so they could visit Penny and Emmy later in the day. Right now, at 1.15 a.m. it wasn't possible because it was outside of the visiting hours.

Leonard accompanied Penny's parents to their car and took his gifts for Penny out of the trunk.

"Okay, Leonard. We drive home now, and around 11 o' clock we come back to visit the new parents and their baby." Wyatt said and patted Leonard's shoulder.

"Alright. See you." Leonard smiled, waved at Wyatt and Susan and went back inside the hospital.

Standing in the entrance area of the hospital, Leonard texted Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj that their baby girl has arrived and was perfectly healthy. He also send messages to his parents and siblings.

With his gifts under his arm he walked back to the private postpartum room, that included a fold-out bed for him, so he could spend the night with Penny and his daughter.

When he entered the room, Penny was breastfeeding Emma. It was such a wonderful sight, that it immediately brought a tear in his eyes.

"Hi," he whispered and walked towards the bed, in which Penny was lying with Emma.

"Hi," she whispered back, a radiant smile on her face. "Look at our little baby girl."

Leonard put his gifts on the round table that was standing in a corner of the room and sat down next to the bed. "She's so beautiful, exactly like her mother," he swooned.

"But her father is also a joy to behold," Penny added and winked. She looked at the paper bag, Leonard had put on the table. "What's this?" she asked.

"Some gifts for the mother and the child," he answered and got up to take the bag from the table. "This a card, and here a two little fluffy teddy bears. One for you and one for Emma."

"Aw, honey. That's so sweet. Thank you." She looked lovingly at Leonard, leaned forward and kissed him.

In the meantime, Emma's first demand for feeding was over and she had fallen asleep. Penny carefully handed her over to Leonard who gently placed her into the rooming-in bassinet next to the bed.

Leonard and Penny caressed each other. They were parents now, and they promised themselves to be the best parents ever.

 **To be continued...**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks again to all who read this little story and take time to write a review.**

 **Here's chapter 16. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 16

It was five days after Emma's birth. Regular sleeping times for Leonard and Penny were over for now, and it would stay this way for quite a while. Closing the eyes and remain horizontal for eight hours until sunrise was something that was receded into the distance. If Emma was awake, so were her parents, which meant they were on call throughout the night to feed and comfort her newborn daughter. But for Leonard and Penny this was more than okay. They knew what would come up to them. At some point, probably in six or seven months, Emma would be capable of sleeping seven to eight hours at a stretch. The most important thing was having a daughter, who was healthy. They couldn't be happier. Also Wyatt and Susan were a great support and helped whenever it was possible.

Leonard and Wyatt stood in the nursery and looked at the freshly painted walls. The light pink shade they had selected looked really good. With the help of a stencil they had also painted nice floral patterns on the wall. Above Emma's crib was a brand new baby mobile with fluffy zebras, that Penny had already bought a few weeks ago.

"This is a girl's paradise. Emma will love it," Leonard smiled.

"She will," Wyatt agreed. "Too bad she will live here only for a year."

Leonard saw the sad expression on Wyatt's face. "I know, you have put so much work into this room, but our future lies in California. But we will visit you as often as possible. I promise."

"It's okay, son. I totally understand," Wyatt said with a smile on his face and patted Leonard's back. "You. Penny and Emma can't stay here in Nebraska. You told me something about a possible tenure at Caltech. They need you there. One way or another. It's one of the world's best universities."

"Let's talk about it another time, okay?" Leonard smiled.

Just in this moment Penny came into the room. She was delighted. "This looks beautiful. Nicely done, guys!" She held Emma in her arms, who was fast asleep. "Our friends will arrive in two hours. We should set out for the airport soon."

Leonard nodded. "Okay. We're just cleaning up here, then we can go." He walked over to Penny and Emma. "Aw, look at our little girl. How did you get her to sleep?"

"I rocked her gently in my arms," Penny answered in whispering tone. "That was enough. She was very tired."

Looking lovingly at his daughter, Leonard pointed at the freshly painted walls. "As soon as the paint has dried, she can officially take possession of this nursery."

"Great!" Penny replied. "I take her back into our room now. We don't want to wake her up."

"Please look after Emma when we're at the airport," she said to her father.

"Of course," Wyatt nodded. She smiled and turned around and went back to their bedroom.

* * *

Two hours later Leonard and Penny sat in the arrival area of Omaha's airport, the Eppley Airfield. The plane from Los Angeles had arrived dead on time. Every minute their friends from Pasadena should come through the gate that led to the public area of the arrival hall.

And then, after only ten minutes of waiting, they were there. "Penny, Leonard!" Bernadette exclaimed happily, who stepped out of the gate first. She ran towards her friends and hugged them exuberantly. "Oh my god, it's so good to see both of you in real life again and not just on a computer screen."

Meanwhile Howard, Raj, Amy and Sheldon had entered the arrival area too. One by one they hugged Leonard and Penny.

Sheldon was the last one who hugged Leonard and Penny. In his own stiffly way of course. He seemed a bit reserved and looked more like someone who observed all the happy hubbub around Leonard and Penny.

"Congratulations to the new parents." Raj said with a beaming smile on his face.

"I can't wait to see your little bundle of joy." Amy said and handed a nicely wrapped box over to Penny. "This is a gift for your baby girl from all of us."

"Aw, thank you, Ames." Penny smiled. "You shouldn't have!"

"See, it wouldn't have been necessary," Sheldon huffed. "It would have..."

Amy glared at Sheldon, who immediately stopped speaking.

Penny chuckled. "I see you have a good grip on Sheldon."

"Yeah, I'm on a good way to make a good boyfriend out of him," she grinned.

Sheldon scrunched up his nose and turned to Leonard. "Well, Leonard. When are you coming back to Pasadena? The roommate agreement is still in force. You still have obligations. Just because you have survived an emergency water landing, seven months alone on a desert island and a dangerous journey on a raft on the ocean doesn't mean..."

Leonard and Penny were flabbergasted and looked at each other with an aghast expression on their faces.

Amy who heard this gave Sheldon a push.

"Heyyy!"

"Sheldon, be nice!" Amy said in a firm tone.

"I am nice!" he complained.

"Sheldon!"

Fine!" He sighed. "Leonard it's really good to see you again. And congratulations to the birth of your daughter."

"Thanks, Sheldon," Leonard smiled.

Penny then was pulled away by Amy and Bernadette, who wanted to have a closer look at her engagement ring.

Leonard now stood in a group with Howard, Raj and Sheldon. Howard patted Leonard's back. "Leonard, my friend. We couldn't be happier that you're still among us. And now you are a father and soon you will be a married man. We are all so happy for you." He looked over to Penny, who was engrossed in a talk with Amy and Bernadette who admired her engagement ring. "And for Penny too, of course."

"Thank you, Howard."

After talking for a few minutes, Penny clapped her hands. "Okay, people. Get your rental car and then we drive to the farm."

"But we have to check in at the hotel first," Sheldon objected.

"We drive to the farm first. You can check in later," Leonard said.

Fifteen minutes later they were on the way to the farm that was located a few miles outside of Omaha. While Sheldon and Amy sat on the back seat of Penny and Leonard's car, Howard, Bernadette and Raj took the rental car.

* * *

They arrived the farm after a drive of thirty minutes. It was 16.30 p.m. when the cars drove through the gate at the main road towards the farm house. After parking the cars at the side of the house, they all gathered in front of the porch.

"Okay, scrape your shoes and follow me," Penny happily exclaimed.

"You better not leave any dirt on the floor, "Leonard chuckled.

Like a duck with her ducklings they all followed Penny and Leonard and went into the house. In the hallway they were greeted by Wyatt who showed them where they could put their coats and then offered all of them something to drink.

"Is mom upstairs with Emma?" Penny asked her father.

"Yes," he answered. "Emma is whimpering. I think she's hungry and needs you. I mean...she needs your..."

Penny chuckled. "Dad, you can say it. That's the most normal and natural thing in the world. She needs my milk."

"You said it, slugger!" he winked and went to kitchen to get glasses.

Penny smirked and turned to her friends, who all stood in the hallway like a group of tourists waiting for their guide to start the tour of the local sights. "Okay, my friends. Let's see the baby."

"Yay!" Amy exclaimed joyfully and raised her arms, earning her a quizzical look by Sheldon.

Following Penny and Leonard, they all went upstairs. On the stairs Sheldon suddenly turned around to say something to Howard who was walking directly behind him. This caused Bernadette and Raj who where behind Howard to bump into each other.

"What's going on down there?" Leonard asked, wondering about the sudden commotion.

"Nothing," Howard replied. "Sheldon just caused a traffic collision."

As Wyatt said, Emma was in the nursery, gently rocked in her grandma's arms. Penny took over her little baby girl, so that Susan could greet her guests from California.

When Amy and Bernadette saw little Emma they immediately began to swoon. Even the guys were totally delighted. It was only Sheldon who seemed a little bit reserved, but after seeing Emma he couldn't prevent that a little smile came over his face.

As it turned out, it was especially Raj, who couldn't get enough of Emma. "Oh my god. Leonard and Penny," he swooned. "You two have made the cutest baby ever." He softly tickled Emma's nose and started to make funny noises. "Gooochie! Gooochie! Gooochie!"

Penny and Leonard had to smile at Raj's enthusiasm. But Emma was still hungry and she made it clear that she was hungry.

"Emma needs her milk. I have to feed her," Penny said. She looked at the expectant faces of her friends, who just smiled at her. "Umm...I know breastfeeding is no big deal and some women even do it in public. But, I'm not really comfortable with packing out my boobs in front of my closest friends. Umm...Can you please leave the room? I think my dad has something prepared for you downstairs."

"Sure thing!" Bernadette said and shooed all out of the room.

With the exception of Leonard, they all left the nursery, waving at Emma.

Leonard closed the door, while Penny started to breastfeed Emma. "It's so great, the whole gang could come here to visit us," she smiled.

"Yes," Leonard agreed. "I missed them all so much. But have you heard Sheldon? As soon as I'm back in Pasadena, he wants me to pick up my role as his roommate and servant. And sooner rather than later."

"That won't happen," Penny chuckled. "When we go back to California we are married and we will live together at our own place."

"Of course," Leonard said. "But I think it will be hard for him to accept this."

Penny sighed. "Yeah, that may be true, but that's not really our problem, right? We can't be considerate of him forever. Now, it's you and me and Emma. We are a family and we have to think of ourselves and our future. Especially after all what has happened last year."

Leonard nodded. "Absolutely! As you said, when we go back to California, we'll have our own place."

"And when we go back to California, we are married," Penny added.

Leonard smiled. "Yes, you will be Penny Hofstadter. In case you still want to take my name."

"Of course, I want to," Penny replied and smiled brightly. "Penny Hofstadter! I love the sound of this name."

Leonard beamed. "Me too."

* * *

Nine people alltogether were gathered around the dining table in the living room and had a rich dinner, that Leonard had prepared earlier. Emma was sleeping in a baby carrier, that stood on the couch, always in the focus of her parents. Sheldon, Amy, Howard and Bernadette were surprised by Leonard's cooking skills.

"This tastes amazing," Howard said and shoveled more of the fried vegetables on his plate. "I didn't know you are such a good cook,"

"Well, when I was younger I developed an interest in cooking, besides physics. And I had a lot of time to learn," Leonard smiled. "And later when I was in California, Raj taught me a lot as well. This guy is really an amazing cook."

"Don't! Stop it!" Raj said, trying to be modest.

"Why do we never have such a good food in our apartment?" Sheldon asked.

"Because you insist on take-out food," Leonard replied.

"Ah, yes. That's right!" Sheldon exclaimed and took an appreciative bite of the potato with savory gravy that was pierced on his fork.

At seven o'clock the dinner was finished. Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj thanked Leonard for the great meal and insisted that he had to cook for all them when he would be back in Pasadena. Before they headed out to check in at the hotel, they all agreed to meet at the farm again around noon.

When Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj drove off in their rental car, Leonard and Penny stood on the porch and waved them goodbye.

"This was a really nice dinner," Penny said, after the car was out of sight. "I miss our evening dinners."

"Me too," Leonard replied. "Once we are back in Pasadena we can have them again. But then it will be in our own four walls."

Penny smiled. "I'm looking forward to that."

"Umm, by the way. What was the gift they had for us?" Leonard asked.

"A teddy bear," Penny answered.

"Oh, I think that's number five hundred and fifty," Leonard chuckled.

"Pretty much, yeah," Penny giggled.

* * *

It was Saturday, 12 p.m. Dead on time Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj drove onto the yard in front of Penny's parents house. Leonard and Penny already waited for them.

Since it was too late the day before, Penny acted as a guide again and showed their friends around the farm. Of course Sheldon had to stir things up, as he constantly kept on bellyaching, because of the allegedly unsanitary conditions in the stables. Amy had to do a lot of persuading, to get Sheldon into the stables to look at the horses. When one of the horses suddenly snorted near Sheldon, he totally freaked out and ran around as if he was chased by a swarm of bees. It was too hysterical. Penny, Leonard, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj couldn't help it than to burst out laughing.

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" Sheldon practically screamed. "This beast has sneezed on me. I need new clothes and a shower."

Amy walked towards Sheldon and tried to calm him down. It wasn't easy, but eventually she succeeded.

After their tour of the farm, they all went into the house and had a nice lunch, which was prepared by Leonard again.

During the afternoon hours, they sat in the living room and talked in groups. Penny stood together with Amy and Bernadette, while Leonard was in a group with Sheldon, Howard and Raj. Emma was entrusted to Wyatt and Susan's care.

"So, have you already set a date for your wedding?" Bernadette asked.

"Yes," Penny answered. "It will be in May, and it's here. You'll get the invitations early enough, so you can plan your vacation."

Amy looked at Penny with big eyes. "Who will be your maid of honour?"

The pleading look in Amy's eyes and the tentative tone in her voice made Bernadette chuckle. "Don't worry Amy, you can be her maid of honor. I know how much you want this."

Penny raised her hand. "Umm...What if I want neither of you?"

"Oh!" Amy looked down to the floor.

"Oh, Ames!" Penny chuckled. "I'm just kidding. Of course you can be my maid of honor."

Amy beamed. "Really?" She hopped up and down and hugged Penny. "Thank you, bestie. This means so much to me. And this also means I can wear a purple satin dress with a sweetheart neckline and my tiara."

Bernadette had to smile at Amy's enthusiasm. "Do you want a church wedding?" she asked Penny.

"Well, at first I wanted a small indoor church wedding," Penny replied. "But after long talks we decided against it. It will still be a small wedding, but instead of a church it will take place in our backyard. Oh, it will be under a portable roof in case it rains."

Meanwhile the guys talked about science stuff and new super hero movies. But at one point they also raised the topic of Leonard and Penny's wedding.

"Oh, in May," Howard said. "How about May the fourth?"

"Yeah, that would be awesome. You and Penny could dress in Star Wars costumes," Raj suggested.

"You could be Han Solo and Penny could dress as Princess Leia," Howard added with wink.

Leonard chuckled. "No, I don't think Penny would agree to this. We will have a formal wedding here in the backyard. Oh, and black tie for the guys."

Howard took a bite of the sandwich he was eating. "You're a buzzkill."

Leonard grinned. "No Star Wars, Howard. But hey, Penny wants to release butterflies at the end of the ceremony."

Sheldon wrinkled his nose. "Seriously? Airborne worms?"

Leonard shrugged. "We'll see."

"Who will be your best man?" Raj wanted to know.

"This is really a tough decision," Leonard answered.

Raj cleared his voice. "May I suggest Howard as your best man. I think he would be the best choice."

Sheldon looked at Raj. "Really? I think I should be your best man."

"But as the best man you have to assist the groom on the wedding day, you are in charge of the ushers, you have to keep the wedding rings safe until they are needed during the ceremony, you have to stand next to the groom during the ceremony, you have to act as a legal witness to the marriage and therefore sign the marriage certificate, and you have to prepare a speech you have to read at the reception," Raj pointed out.

Sheldon began to think. "Hmm, act as a legal witness to the marriage and therefore sign the marriage certificate sounds good, but the rest. No, thank you. Howard you can have the job."

Leonard looked at Howard. "Would you like to be my best man?"

Howard smiled from ear to ear. "It would be a honour to me."

Leonard was happy. "Great, then it's settled."

Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj's visit on this Saturday ended after another nice dinner. The next day they all met for a brunch, before Leonard and Penny's friends returned to California.

 **To be continued...**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thanks again to all who read this little story and take time to write a review.**

 **Here's chapter 17. I had the idea to write this chapter after watching an episode from season 5.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 17

Six weeks after Emma's birth, Penny had returned to work at the stud farm again. While Penny was at work, Leonard cared for their baby. He was completely wrapped up in his role as a father. When it came to changing diapers, Leonard almost attained perfection. He sat next to Emma's crib for hours, when Penny wasn't home, reading a book or doing something Physics related on his computer, always being on call when his daughter needed something or made long strolls near the farm with Emma in her buggy. Together with Penny he formed an invincible team. They were truly the perfect parents. The way they cared about their baby girl was amazing. Family and friends who saw Leonard and Penny with Emma were absolutely delighted by the commitment they displayed towards their baby. Leonard and Penny had promised themselves to be great parents and they kept their promise. Sure, it wasn't easy at times, especially the sleep deprivation was unpleasant, but putting up with these travails was something Leonard and Penny loved to do. The incredible joy of having a child was worth all of this.

Apart from childcare, the months after Emma's birth were also defined by the preparation of Leonard and Penny's wedding. They had compiled a list with all persons who would get an invitation. Because of the costs they wanted to keep the number of attendees as low as possible, so they agreed on inviting only the closest family and friends. All in all 25 people got invitations.

* * *

It was during the first week of April. All wedding invitations had been printed and put in envelopes, and were shipped to its addressees. Leonard and Penny had taken a break from the wedding planning. All things concerning dresses, catering and festivities were postponed for the time being. Penny was in the nursery, feeding Emma and changing her diaper, while Leonard sat in the little living room on the upper floor and checked his emails.

"Hey Penny," he called out for Penny after a while. "I've been invited to give a lecture about high-energy lasers at the UNO, the University of Nebraska Omaha."

Penny walked over to Leonard with a baby monitor in her hand.

"Has Emma fallen asleep?" Leonard aked.

Penny nodded. "Yes, she's in her crib and sleeps like an angel. What was this? A lecture?"

"Yes. Look here. "Leonard turned his laptop towards Penny and showed her the email. "The University of Nebraska has invited me to give a lecture about high-energy lasers next week."

Penny looked at the screen and read the first lines of the email. "That's great. Are you going?"

"Sure. Why not. You know high-energy lasers are my field of research, so I'm very interested in doing this. Would you accompany me?" Leonard wanted to know.

"Of course," Penny replied and sat down on the couch next to Leonard, putting the baby monitor on the table. "I will probably don't understand a word and I will definitely fall asleep," she chuckled. "But as your fiancée and bride-to-be I will certainly accompany you. How could I miss my smart and sexy husband-to-be giving a lecture?"

Leonard smiled. "Great, I will write a reply and accept their invitation."

Penny was a little bit confused though. "Why do they actually know you are here in Omaha?"

"Well, I had some email contact with the university, because I wanted to have some information about their physics research programs. Obviously they have googled me and here we are," Leonard chuckled.

Penny nodded. "When will it take place?"

"In a week from now," Leonard replied. "Time enough for me to prepare it."

"What happened to all these interview requests you got from newspapers, magazines and TV stations regarding your time on the island and your journey on the raft to come back to civilization?" Penny asked.

"I declined them all," Leonard answered. "I really have no desire to appear in public and talk about this." He shut down his laptop and put it aside. "What do you want to do now?"

Penny huddled up against Leonard, practically sitting in his lap. "Well, since Emma is sound asleep and my parents are out of the house for a few hours, we could use the time to have a little fun. What do you think of that?" she asked in a very seductive tone.

Leonard grinned. "What do have in mind?"

Penny leaned over and started to kiss Leonard passionately. It took only a second until Leonard reciprocated the kiss in the same manner. When they broke the kiss, both were slightly out of breath.

"I see," Leonard said. "I think I know what you have in mind?"

Penny giggled. "Oh, really?"

Leonard nodded. "Uh-huh!" He looked deeply into her eyes and saw the arousal in them. The same arousal he felt. "You sure, you're ready again?"

"Yes, Leonard. One-hundred percent!"

* * *

The room in which Leonard's lecture took place was filled to capacity. He was surprised at the brisk interest.

Penny was proud of her soon-to-be-husband. "You're a real celebrity in the world of science," she smiled.

"I'm a bit nervous," Leonard admitted. "It's been a while since my last lecture."

"You don't have to be nervous," Penny calmed him down. "I'm sitting in the front row. Just look at me."

Leonard nodded and gave Penny a kiss.

A few minutes later the president of the University of Nebraska Omaha introduced Leonard, who went up to the lectern amid loud applause.

After Leonard had started his lecture, one could see and hear his tension, but after a short while he visibly relaxed. Starting to sprinkle in some science related jokes here and there, his lecture was not only very informative but also very entertaining. The audience listened to him in awe and was fascinated by many descriptive examples how high-energy lasers could be used.

Although Penny didn't really understand everything, especially when Leonard described the theory of lasers, she was as fascinated as the rest of the audience. At no point during Leonard's lecture she felt bored or threatened to fall asleep. Instead, seeing her future husband making such a great impression on the audience made her incredibly proud and it even turned her on somewhat. She had to think of the numerous times she had sex with Leonard in his lab, because she was so aroused by the fact how smart he was.

Amid a hurricane of applause Leonard ended his lecture after an hour and a half. He offered the audience to ask him questions and talk to him afterwards. The round of questions took about twenty minutes. Then the audience dispersed, with a few people remaining who wanted to talk to Leonard.

Penny excused herself and went to the restrooms to refresh herself, after telling Leonard how great the lecture was and how proud she was of him. When she came back, she could see Leonard talking with a woman. Her back was turned on Penny, so she couldn't see her face. As she was walking towards Leonard and the woman, Penny could see that she was slim, about his and her height and she had long brown hair, which almost reached her butt.

When Penny finally saw, who Leonard was talking to, she stopped dead in her tracks, and the woman who was talking to Leonard looked quite flabbergasted when she saw Penny.

Leonard was taken aback by the reaction when the two women saw each other. The silence became awkward, so he decided to introduce Penny to the woman he was speaking to. "Umm...Penny, this is Doctor Kathy Geiger. Kathy, this is my fiancée Penny."

"Hi Penny."

"Hi Kathy."

Leonard was still perplexed at the awkwardness between Penny and Kathy. "Kathy is an experimental physicist at the College of Arts and Sciences here at the UNO. Do you know each other?"

"Umm...yes." Penny said in quiet voice, trying to avoid eye contact with Kathy.

"Yes, we know each other. We were class mates in high school." Kathy replied matter-of-factly.

Penny tried to put on a smile. "Umm...nice to see you again. You never came back to school after..." She immediately bowed her head in shame.

Kathy narrowed her eyes. "Well, yeah. I was a little bit traumatized, after spending a whole night blindfolded, bound and gagged in a cornfield. My desire to go back to a school, where I was treated in such a way just because I got good grades was limited. So, I went to another school."

Tears welled up in Penny's eyes. "Kathy, I'm so sorry. I want to apologize to you." She reached out her hand, but Kathy crossed her arms in front of her.

Penny's voice was starting to break. "Please. I mean it. I deeply regret what I did. I wish I could undo it. Please, Kathy. I want to apologize. I'm sorry."

"You know, I had nightmares! For a very long time," Kathy huffed. "Can you imagaine what could have happened to me? Can you imagine how I felt alone and tied up, not able to move, not able to see anything, not able to call for help? Maybe I should have called the police, but I was too afraid of you. I thought, when I would call the cops, you and your friends would kill me. I had to see a shrink because I developed an anxiety disorder as a result of what you and your friends did to me that night."

Penny was visibly upset now and tears ran down her cheekd. "Oh my god, no!" she said aghast and put a hand in front of her mouth. "I'm so so sorry. So terribly sorry. Two years ago I tried to call you, to ask you to forgive me for what I did to you, but I couldn't reach you. I was a stupid teenager, who didn't think about her actions and what they could do to others."

Leonard listened to the verbal exchange of the two women and was lost for words. His future wife was a bully who mistreated classmates because of good grades? He couldn't believe it.

The anger in Kathy's voice had disappeared by now. She had a sad expression on her face. "Yeah, you really didn't think a lot then, do you?"

"Please, Kathy. I want to..." Penny begged.

Kathy cut her short. "No, Penny. Not today. I'm not ready to forgive you yet." She turned to Leonard. "You lecture was amazing, Doctor Hofstadter. I wish you success for your high energy laser research and all other projects that lay ahead of you. Have a nice day." Then she turned to Penny. "Penny," she said with a nod and left the room.

With her head hanging down, Penny slowly walked out of the room into the hallway and sat down on a bench. Leonard wanted to follow her, but someone who also wanted to speak with him tapped on his shoulder.

Fifteen minutes later, Leonard and Penny left the building on the University campus and drove home with Leonard at the wheel. During the drive hardly a word was spoken. Penny just looked out of the window. She hoped Leonard wouldn't despise her, now that he had learned what for awful things she had done to other people in her youth. Seeing Kathy Geiger again let her think about her past, about the person who she once was. But she had changed and she was another person now.

* * *

When they arrived the farm they could see that Penny's parents were not back yet. They were visiting relatives and took Emma with them, for the time Leonard and Penny were at the University. As soon as they entered the house, Penny directly went upstairs and flopped down on the bed in their bedroom and started to cry again. Leonard followed her and sat down next to her, gently stroking her back.

"I'm such a terrible person, Leonard," Penny sobbed. "Now, you don't want to marry me. Who wants to marry such a terrible person like me?"

Leonard smiled and grasped Penny's right hand, kissing it. "Penny, that's nonsense. Don't beat up yourself."

He put his arm around Penny and cradled her. Leonard held her this way for a few minutes until Penny stopped crying. Reaching over to the nightstand, Leonard took a tissue from the box that was standing there and gave it to Penny, so she could dab her eyes.

Penny turned to Leonard and looked into his eyes. Her eyes were still puffy from crying, but even in this state they were mesmerizing beautiful. "Leonard, I'm not the same person that I was then. I have changed."

Leonard gently stroked Penny's cheek and smiled at her. "I know. Of course you have changed. That's the great thing about human beings. They can change, they can grow, they can realize mistakes and learn from them. At one point in the past you have realized you were on the wrong path, and made the decision to leave this path and take another one. You had a change of mind and became the wonderful and loving person you are now. The wonderful person you are since the day I met you for the first time and I fell in love with."

"I love you, Leonard," Penny smiled. "You always find a way to cheer me up."

Leonard gave Penny a soft kiss. "I love you too. You are really a great person. Just look how you care about Emma. If someone deserves to get the 'Best Mom Ever' award, then it's you."

Penny started to tear up again, but this time it were tears of emotion. "Aww, Leonard. You are so sweet."

"I'm just telling the truth," he winked. "And regarding Kathy Geiger. Well, everybody has a past. But the past is the past. We can't change it. You sincerely regret what you did."

Penny nodded, dabbing her eyes with a new tissue Leonard had handed her over. "I do. I really do."

Leonard nodded and looked lovingly at Penny. "You are kind, caring, loving, funny. These are the features that let me fall in love with you. That's what you are since the day I first met you. And that's all that counts for me. Don't ever think something else, okay?"

Penny nodded again, a smile on her face. "Okay."

Leonard smiled. "Good! And what counts as well, is what we two as a couple have now. We have us. We have Emma. We are a family. And soon we are married."

Penny beamed. "God, Leonard. I'm so lucky to have you." She leaned over and kissed her fiancé. "Let's grab a bite to eat. What do you think of that?"

"I could do with a bite," Leonard replied. "I'll make us a little afternoon treat."

Penny clapped her hands. "That sounds great. Let's go." She took Leonard's hand and together they went downstairs to the kitchen.

* * *

When Penny came home from work the next day, she found Leonard sitting in the nursery next to Emma's crib. He was looking at Emma who had just fallen asleep. Penny walked up to Leonard from behind, wrapped her arms around him and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek. "Hi, sweetie," she whispered. "Is she sleeping?"

"Yes," Leonard answered, scrunching his nose. "A lot of mucking out stables today I guess," he chuckled.

Penny chuckled. "Yeah, I need a shower."

"Oh, I have emailed Kathy Geiger." Leonard said, when Penny turned around to leave the nursery to go to the bathroom.

Penny stopped and looked at Leonard with a confused expression on her face. "Really? Why?"

"Well, I wrote her that this cornfield thing really preys on your mind since yesterday and that you sincerly want to apologize to her," he answered.

"Did you get an answer?" Penny asked.

"Yes, she agreed to meet you tomorrow at the University cafeteria," Leonard replied.

Penny smiled. "That's great. I really want to apologize to her for the things I have done to her. I hope she accepts my apology this time."

* * *

Penny and Kathy had a long talk the next day. Many things were brought up, and again tears were shed. This time on both sides. At the end Kathy accepted Penny's heartfelt and sincere apology. Their talk ended after nearly two hours with a cordial hug. It was a closure for both women.

When Penny came home and told Leonard everything about her meeting with Kathy he was happy that he had arranged this. And Penny was happy that she got another chance to speak with Kathy.

Now the focus could be directed at the wedding again.

 **To be continued...**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks to all who read this little story and take time to write a review.**

 **Here's chapter 18.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 18

The days in the last week before Leonard and Penny's wedding turned out to be more busy than originally planned. The party service that was responsible for delivering the food for the reception unexpectedly went out of business, so Leonard and Penny had to find a new one. The only service that could deliver timely in the shortness of the time left until the wedding, was specialized in lavish luxury weddings and therefore it was way more very expensive than the other one. Thanks to Wyatt's negotiating skills, he could screw down prices, so it remained affordable for Penny's parents, who had promised to pay all costs for the wedding.

Fortunately finding a wedding dress for Penny went off without any problems. And it was a gorgeous dress. She, her mother and her sister had searched quite a long time, but finally they found a dress in which Penny looked like a princess in a fairy tale. And after all what had happened the year before, marrying Leonard was actually like a fairy tale for Penny. Like her mother and her sister, Penny couldn't prevent some happy tears from falling after she looked at herself in the mirror inside the wedding gown boutique in downtown Omaha. It was a beautiful white figure-accentuating beaded, curve-hugging floor-length dress with a soft, sweetheart neckline, that brought to bear Penny's stunning figure.

* * *

Three days before the official wedding ceremony, which would take place in the backyard of Penny's parents farm, Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette, and Raj had arrived. Although Raj had a new girlfriend, her name was Doctor Emily Sweeney, M.D., a dermatologist, who he had found through a dating site, he showed up without her. They were all accommodated at a nice hotel near the airport. There was some irritation in the run-up to the wedding, when Sheldon insisted that Penny's parents should pay for their hotel rooms. He said that taking care of the guests would also belong to their area of responsibility as payors. But this problem could be solved very quickly, when Leonard and Penny offered him a bed in the attic of the farm house free of charge. Sheldon declined, saying that he would rather pay for a hotel room than sleeping in a germ-infested room without sanitary fittings.

Leonard's brother Michael and his sister couldn't come, since they hadn't managed to get vacation days for the event. Leonard's parents Beverly and Alfred couldn't come either because of scheduling conflicts. But they all sent the bridal pair extremely generous gifts.

* * *

In the evening before the wedding, Howard and Raj had organized a spontaneous bachelor party for Leonard in a local pub. It was very low-key, since Leonard had no interest in a wild party. There was no mass consumption of alcohol or a stripper jumping out of a giant artificial cake. It was just the guys sitting in a private room of the pub having a nice evening, talking about this and that. The only one who got carried away was Raj.

At the end of the evening he could only crawl on all fours, since he literally emptied almost all of the alcohol supply of the pub. Leonard and Howard somehow managed to get Raj into a taxi and drove to the hotel. Sheldon was only a bystander in all of this, since he refused to touch Raj out of fear to get a share of vomit, in case he had to throw up because of his intoxication. On the way from the taxi to the hotel Raj had to throw up, and hit Sheldon's shoes of all things. Sheldon was so disgusted that he had to throw up himself. It was quite unsavory but at the same time hilarious. Leonard and Howard couldn't stop laughing. Of course Howard had to film everything with his smartphone.

"This goes up on Youtube," Howard grinned.

"Don't you dare," Sheldon protested, only to receive another stream of vomit over his shoes by a kneeling Raj.

This was too much for Sheldon, as he ran screaming into the hotel. It was a sight for the gods. Howard and Leonard soon followed with Raj, who had to be supported by his two friends since he wasn't able to walk.

* * *

The girls bachelorette party was even more low-key. It was essentially a gathering of the girls, held in the living room of the farm house and it had more the character of a girls night in Pasadena. Amy, Bernadette and Penny's sister did everything to pamper the bride-to-be and provided comfortable opportunities for all to talk and to give intimate advice to Penny. Especially Penny's sister had a lot to contribute, much to the enjoyment and amazement of Penny, Amy and Bernadette. A special treat that Amy had made for the occasion caused particular sensation. She had made cookies in the shape of male genitals, which were pretty anatomic accurate. Although a lot of wine was consumed, no one got drunk and Penny enjoyed the evening immensely.

* * *

While Leonard and Penny enjoyed the evening, Emma was in her grandparent's custody on the upper floor. Outside in the backyard everything was prepared for the ceremony. The chairs for the attendees were set up, the flower arrangements were in their places, a wonderful wooden arbor adorned with flowers for the bridal pair and the officiant had been constructed and the tables for the reception were arranged and set in the solemnly decorated barn. The weather forecast predicted sunny and dry weather with pleasant temperatures. Everything was ready for a beautiful wedding.

It was almost 3 a.m. in the morning of the wedding day, when Leonard finally returned to the farm. Penny had already fallen asleep, when he entered their bedroom. After finishing his evening routine in the attached bathroom, Leonard quietly climbed into bed under the blanket, spooning Penny. He could hear a soft content humming from her, as she grasped his hands, which he had laid around her upper body and rested them on her chest. Leonard could feel Penny's heart beating. A rush of happiness run through him. In less than twelve hours he would be married to the woman he had fallen in love with on the first day he had laid eyes on her.

* * *

"Good morning my love," Penny greeted Leonard with a smile, who had just opened his eyes.

"Morning," he answered and smiled back at his soon-to-be wife. "Have you been awake for a long time?"

Penny lay on her side, smiling at Leonard. "No, just a few minutes. I wanted to look at my handsome soon-to-be husband. You look so cute, when you sleep."

"Really? You look at me when I sleep. That's creepy," Leonard chuckled.

"Yes, really. I could look at you for hours while you are sleeping," Penny replied with a radiant smile and leaned forward to give Leonard a soft kiss on his lips.

Leonard smiled and tucked a strand of Penny's long blond hair behind her ear.

Penny sighed contentedly and ran her fingers through Leonard's curly hair. "Today's the day. In a few hours I'll be Penny Hofstadter."

Leonard smiled brightly. "I love it, when you say Penny Hofstadter."

Suddenly the baby monitor on Penny's nightstand signalled that Emma had woken up too. "I look after Emma. You stay right here where you are," Penny ordered with a wink and jumped out of bed.

"Your wish is my command," Leonard grinned.

While Penny left the room, Leonard closed his eyes and a short time later he dozed off. He didn't know how long he was snoozing, when he felt Penny's soft lips on his.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," Penny whispered.

Leonard slowly opened his eyes and for a few minutes, they just looked lovingly into each other's eyes, until Penny broke the comfortable silence. "Emma is with my parents downstairs. Let's have a shower together and you tell me everything about your bachelor party."

Leonard nodded. "Okay. And you tell me everything about your bachelorette party."

They both got up and walked into the the bathroom. For Leonard and Penny, taking a shower together had not only the purpose to get clean, but ever so often it turned into either a hot makeout session with all sorts of petting or even love making. And this time it was no exception, as they opted for the latter. Leonard and Penny's wedding day started really delightful for both of them, but that was just the beginning of a wonderful day.

* * *

Around noon the guests arrived at the farm and gathered in the backyard. Sheldon, Howard and Raj all wore really classy tuxedos, while Amy wore, like announced, a purple satin dress with a sweetheart neckline and her tiara. Bernadette wore a dark blue velvet dress with floral motifs, that was both timeless classic and elegant. All other attendees also got dressed up elegantly and festively for the occasion.  
The table, on which the wedding gifts could be placed was filled with boxes, envelopes and bouquets of flowers. In the barn, the party service was busy to put the finishing touches on the reception arrangements, including setting up the wedding cake.

* * *

An hour before the start of the wedding ceremony Penny's mother called some of the female guests together, as it was time to put the wedding dress on Penny. It took a few minutes to get Penny into the dress.

"You have obviously gained weight, since you got the dress," Penny's sister grinned.

Penny glared at her in mock annoyance. "No piece of the wedding cake for you," she deadpanned. But after a few seconds she couldn't hold back a grin herself. "Yeah, I think I'm the one, who should eat less cake. I have gained a little bit of weight."

"You look wonderful," Bernadette said, to which all agreed whooping. "Leonard is a real lucky guy, to have a wife whose not one of those beanpoles."

Penny narrowed her eyes.

"You know what I mean," Bernadette chuckled.

Penny nodded with a smile. "I do, Bernie."

As soon as Penny was in her dress, all the women couldn't stop swooning.

"Oh my god," Penny's mother Susan exclaimed and couldn't hold back some tears from rolling down her face. "You are the most beautiful bride ever."

"Thanks mom," Penny blushed on the verge of tears herself.

* * *

At the same time Leonard was in the living room with his best man Howard.

"Okay," Leonard said and gave Howard a little white ring box. "Here are the wedding rings. Please keep them safe."

"I will," Howard replied and patted Leonard's shoulder.

In this moment Wyatt came into the room. "Okay, son. Emma is in good hands with her temporary nanny. We'll fetch her tomorrow afternoon. Now it's time for you to get married," he winked. "The officiant has arrived. So, please take your place in the backyard, while I get Penny."

* * *

A few minutes later, an extremely excited Leonard stood under the arbor in the backyard with Howard next to him. Amy had also taken her place, as well as all family and friends. Leonard's heart was beating fast and he felt like he was in a beautiful dream. But it wasn't a dream, it was real.

All the while, Raj was looking behind him in direction of the house. He had agreed on a sign with Wyatt, because he suddenly got up from his chair and picked up an acoustic guitar, that was hidden behind a bush and started to play a beautiful classic tune, indicating the bride was arriving. This was a surprise to all, since Leonard and Penny thought the music that would be played during the entrance would come from a tape.

Seeing Penny stepping out of the house made Leonard gasp. She really looked like an angel in her wonderful dress. More than ever he thought he was dreaming. Overwhelmed by the beauty of his bride, tears welled up in his eyes, when Penny was walking down the aisle with her father, beaming like a star, holding a gorgeous bouquet in her hands. It was as if she was floating.

When Penny stood in front of Leonard he couldn't prevent a single tear escaping his eye, which he didn't bother to wipe away. He lifted Penny's veil and saw that she had teary eyes as well. For her this was like a dream too. Pure bliss flow through her body. For a few moments the got lost in each other's eyes and totally forgot the world around them, feeling an overpowering rush of love for the other.

They were both brought back into reality when the officiant started to speak. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

"As the strong and independant woman Penny is, she gives herself, but with her family's blessing," Wyatt answered. He patted Leonard's shoulder with a bright smile and hugged Penny before taking his seat in the front row of the right side.

The officiant continued to speak. "Family and friends of Leonard and Penny. Welcome to their wedding ceremony this afternoon in this beautiful garden, as we take ourselves out of the usual routines of daily living to witness a unique moment in the lives of these two wonderful people. Today they join their lives in the union of marriage. They are happy to share this moment with you. They have known most of you for several years and because you are the ones who have supported them and known them so well, it is only fitting that you are the ones to share this once-in-a-lifetime moment with them. And so it is that Leonard and Penny present themselves to be married today. Surrounded by the people they love the most."

Next the officiant took this moment to emphasize the significance of the vows Leonard and Penny were about to exchange. This also included a reminder of the duties and roles in marriage.

Leonard and Penny looked each other deeply in the eyes, a bright smile on both of their faces. It was time to exchange the vows. They had decided to recite ones they had written themselves.

Leonard started. "Penny, we are made of particles that have existed since the moment the universe began. I like to think those atoms travelled 14 billion years through time and space to create us, so that we could be together and make each other whole. Today I affirm my love for you, and vow to share my life with you in everything, to respect, protect and love you. You are the most wonderful person I have ever known. You are kind, caring, loving and beautiful. I take you to be my wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health from this day forward you shall be first in my heart and our souls shall be together as one."

Penny was overwhelmed with emotion. "Wow," she whispered, blinking away some tears and clearing her throat before she could continue with her own vow. "Leonard, you have been my best friend, confidant and my rock on which I could always lean on. But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me incredibly happy. Happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible. You have made me a better person. I am truly blessed to be a part of your life, which as of today becomes our life together."

Like Penny, Leonard teared up during the vow. He couldn't help it. Hearing such wonderful words made it inevitable.

Then it was time for the exchange of the rings. The officiant turned to Penny and smiled at her. "Penny, pick up Leonard's ring, and repeat after me."

Amy gave Penny the ring for Leonard, which Howard had handed over to the Maid of Honor shortly before the ceremony. Holding the ring in her hand, Penny repeated word for word. "Leonard, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I vow to love and serve you as long as we both shall live. I take you with all your faults and strengths as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I vow to help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help. And with this ring, I take you to be my lawfully wedded husband, my constant friend, my partner in crime, and my love from this day forward. I, Penny, give you, Leonard this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you."

Then, with a radiant smile on her face, she put the ring on Leonard's finger. While she did this, she looked deeply into his eyes and could see pure happiness in them.

The officiant now turned to Leonard. "Leonard, pick up Penny's ring, and repeat after me," he said.

With a beaming smile Leonard took the ring from Howard and started to repeat the words from the officiant. "Penny, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I vow to love and serve you as long as we both shall live. I take you with all your faults and strengths as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I vow to help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help. And with this ring, I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife, my constant friend, my partner in crime, and my love from this day forward. I, Leonard, give you, Penny this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you."

Penny beamed, when Leonard put the ring on her finger. The feeling of happiness that flooded through her in this moment was indescribable. And again, she couldn't prevent the happy tears from welling up in her eyes.

Then the officiant made everything official. "Now that you have given yourselves to each other with solemn vows, and the giving and receiving of rings, in front of all who are assembled here, it is with great joy that by the power vested in me by the State of Nebraska, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now seal your vows with a kiss."

On top of the world and with bright smiles on their faces and Leonard and Penny leaned forward to kiss. When their lips met, time seemed to stand still for a few moments, and they both felt as if they were floating above the ground. It was a kiss, that was actually a little bit too long and passionate for a traditional kiss at a wedding, but they didn't care. They wanted to savor this moment.

"Get a room!" Raj exclaimed, which caused all the persons present to laugh and Leonard and Penny to break the kiss. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, they turned to their guests. "We will," Penny said with a chuckle. "Later."

The officiant joined the general laughter, before he continued with the ceremony, that wasn't over yet. "While this wedding is a celebration of love and commitment, it is also a legal ceremony. I ask the Maid of Honor and Best Man to join me and the bride and groom at the table behind me."

Leonard, Penny, Howard and Amy proceeded to the table behind the officiant.

"The signing of a marriage certificate is not just a legal requirement," the officiant explained. "It is in fact an ancient custom that represents the concept that not only must marriage be entered into consensually by both parties, but that it is also a social contract between a couple and their community. For the good of all. Signing the marriage documents is also a self-defining moment for you Leonard and Penny, perhaps one of the most impactful and consequential moments of your lives. So I ask you to sign the documents before you."

Leonard and Penny signed the marriage certificate. When they were done the officiant turned to Amy and Howard. "I ask you Amy and Howard to sign the marriage license as witnesses to this moment."

After Amy and Howard had signed as well, the officiant smiled and spoke some final words. "May the legal benefits and obligations of marriage enhance your life for all the years to come. Cheers to Doctor and Mrs. Hofstadter."

"Cheers!" the attendees proclaimed, followed by rejoicing and cheering that filled the air on this wonderful warm May afternoon in the backyard of a farm house near Omaha, Nebraska.

 **To be continued...**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks again to all who read this little story and take their time to write a review.**

 **Here's chapter 19.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 19

A never ending rejoicing and cheering accompanied Leonard and Penny when they left the wedding ceremony, heading off for pictures at a beautiful spot near the farm. A friend of Wyatt and Susan, who acted as the official photographer, was in tow of them, continuously taking pictures with his digital single lens reflex camera.

While Leonard and Penny were photographed, the guests walked the short distance over to the barn, where the wedding reception took place. They were enthralled when they saw how the barn was decorated inside. The ceiling was draped with white fabric, and lush flower arrangements were hanging a few feet above each of the five round tables, creating a real intimate space. As soon as everyboby was inside the barn, the staff from the party service who had organized everything served cocktails, which officially kicked off the reception and should last for at least an hour. During this time the staff also served little appetizers and drinks, while all mingled and got in the right party mood.

* * *

It was six o'clock, when Raj, who acted as the emcee for the event, took a microphone. "Good evening ladies and gentleman, friends and loved ones, welcome to Leonard and Penny's nuptial dinner reception. My name is Raj, and I have been asked by our wonderful bride and groom, to be your emcee tonight and they would like to extend their thanks for attending their nuptial celebrations tonight."

A warm applause surged up, before Raj continued. "Dinner will commence very soon, so we ask that everyone make their way to their seats and make yourselves comfortable as we begin our celebration."

Then it was time for Leonard and Penny's grand entrance. At a sign from Penny's sister, who acted as the official reception coordinator, Raj alerted all those present to the newlyweds imminent arrival.

But at first, Penny's parents were introduced by Raj. "Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen. Please be on your feet as we welcome the bridal party. Put your hands together for our hosts, the mother and father of the bride. As you all know, the day your little girl gets married is the happiest day of the century for every doting parent and don't they look radiant? Thank you Wyatt and Susan. We can see where the bride got her good looks from. I'm not saying which, you both look wonderful tonight."

Wide applause filled the barn. Raj then continued to introduce the Best Man and the Maid of Honor. And again wide applause came up, which let Howard and Amy beam.

Outside the barn, Leonard and Penny already champed at the bit. "Raj is quite the entertainer," Leonard chuckled.

"Yeah," Penny agreed. "But if he continues to introduce every single guest we can still wait for hours until we can enter the barn," she grinned.

Raj noticed the impatience and winked at the two. "And now the big moment! Ladies and gentleman, our bride and groom Leonard and Penny!"

Amid loud cheering and rejoicing, the bride and the groom entered the barn. It was like a victory parade and all the while Leonard and Penny couldn't stop smiling. They were literally on cloud nine, sharing little kisses every once in a while on their way.

Raj continued to speak. "Doesn't she look beautiful? Calling her a gorgeous beauty would be an understatement. As for the groom, look at him! He's one handsome fella, isn't he? Ladies and gentleman, a big hand for Leonard and Penny!"

The applause increased, as the newlyweds walked solemnly to their table, accompanied by cheers and camera flashes.

As soon as Leonard and Penny had taken their seats, it was time to dig into the main course of the dinner. Raj, who also acted as a DJ went over to the hi-fi equipment, that was built up on a table at the side of the dancefloor and started to play a mix of tunes, consisting of subdued, conversation-friendly background music. While the music gently sounded from the loudspeaker boxes, the waitstaff from the party service made the rounds and served the meals the bridal pair and their guests had already ordered in advance.

* * *

Everybody at the reception was delighted at the happiness Leonard and Penny radiated. It was a joy to behold. During the meal, they continuously smiled lovingly at each other, exchanging fleeting kisses here and there and just had a great time. Everyone present was delighted at the public displays of affection Leonard and Penny showcased. Particularly cute was their mutual feeding with pieces of food from the meal. Penny's mother Susan couldn't help it to shed a tear or two, seeing her daughter so happy like never before. The same held true for Wyatt. He was happy that Leonard followed his request to never give up on Penny. Having a great guy like him as the husband for his beloved slugger and as his son-in-law was fantastic and more than he had ever hoped for.

Like the appetizers, the main course was delicious, and everybody savored it. The cooks had conjured a culinary dream. One could choose between a filet mignon wrapped with bacon and assorted vegetables, lobster with mashed potatoes and roasted chicken with creamy white wine and garlic sauce. While Leonard had the roasted chicked, Penny had the filet mignon of course, since she loved her occasional steak, especially at her own wedding.

After the main course was served and the dished were cleared by the waitstaff, Raj took the microphone to announce the cutting of the wedding cake. "Ladies and gentlemen! Could we have your attention for a moment for the cutting of the cake. For those unfortunate souls who are on a diet, tonight's not your night. The cake was baked by our mother of the bride Susan with her own fair and surprisingly strong hand and she'll be round your tables to make sure you all have your share. Friends, please be up and standing for the cutting of the cake."

Leonard and Penny got up and walked to table with the wedding cake. It was an elegant classic white three-tier cake with vanilla flavor.

While Leonard took the knife that lay on the table next to the cake, Raj spoke up again. "Now all of those taking pictures, be sure you're ready for the photo-opportunity. Leonard make sure you have a firm hand on the cake with your beloved bride."

Amid applause and with a beaming smile Leonard and Penny cut the cake. Susan then spread the cake among the attendees. It was during the consumption of the wedding cake, when the time for the Best Man's toast to the bride and the groom had come.

Howard got up, cleared his throat and tapped the glass in front of him with a knife, getting the attention of all people in the barn. "When Leonard asked me to be his best man I was over the moon. But then it dawned on me. The speech. I realized that I would have to stand up and talk in front of a lot of people. I started shaking and thought I couldn't do it. Then I thought, that all I have to do is stand up, look a little idiotic, tell a few jokes and be confident. Taking this on board, here I am." Laughter and encouraging cheers came up. "Umm, I have known Leonard for many of years now. He was the first friend I had when I started to work at Cal Tech, and he has been a true friend ever since. After a short time we could welcome Raj, and finally Sheldon joined up with us. A small band of nerdy guys had formed, ready to change the world. Well, not really. It was in September 2007, Leonard will surely know the exact date, when a blonde-haired girl moved in across the hall from Leonard and completely changed our world. This girl was Penny, the woman Leonard has married today."

"Aww's" were heard in the barn, and Leonard and Penny lovingly looked at each other, with Penny squeezing her husband's arm.

Howard continued. "While we were all struck by Penny's beauty, we could also see right from the beginning that there was not only a beautiful outside, but also an even more beautiful inside. She never ridiculed us or made fun of us. No, not only did she accept for who we were, she also saw the good and caring heart of Leonard and eventually fell in love with him."

Again "Aww's" could be heard, while Penny leaned over to Leonard and gave him a tender kiss.

"Somebody once told me that love can easily be affected by physical appearance," Howard continued. "I am sure that when Leonard first saw Penny, there was no confusion. He immediately saw the beauty inside of Penny. It was true love at first sight."

Leonard smiled, while tears welled up in Penny's eyes.

Then Howard looked at Leonard and Penny with a beaming smile on his face. "Leonard and Penny, of course there's one thing I can never thank you enough. Without you two, I wouldn't have met my wonderful wife Bernadette. You two introduced me to my soul mate and as a result of this I became a better person. For that I owe you my eternal gratitude. You will always have a special place in my heart. Calling you two my friends makes me incredibly thankful and proud."

Leonard and Penny radiantly smiled at Howard.

Howard took a little bow to Leonard and Penny, before he continued with his speech. "Finally, I would like to say another thank you to everybody for coming and joining the newly married couple in their celebrations. And I am sure you will all agree they make a fantastic happy couple. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me all in a toast. To Leonard and Penny, long may their love last! Cheers!"

Leonard and Penny lifted their glasses, while all people on their tables did the same and chanted in unison. "To Leonard and Penny!"

The sound of clinking glasses filled the barn, while Penny insisted on giving Leonard a quite passionate kiss, which of course elicited some cheering and "get a room" exclamations.

As the Maid of honor, it was Amy's turn now to say something. She looked at Sheldon, who gave her an encouraging nod.

Amy tapped the glass in front of her with a coffee spoon and got up. All heads turned in the direction of her. "Before I begin my speech, I would just like to say that Penny looks absolutely beautiful tonight. That's right, bestie," she winked. "Oh, and Leonard, you don't look so bad yourself."

Laughter came up, while Amy smiled at the beaming newlyweds.

"It has been quite a day," Amy proceeded. "An unforgettable, whirlwind of a day that celebrates the fact that two people fell in love."

Another round of "Aww's" went through the barn and Amy lifted her glass. "Not only do I feel privileged to know these two people, I also feel lucky enough to have witnessed the love they have for each other. Their love for one another has made them even better people than they were before. Together, they are even stronger. Congratulations to Doctor and Mrs. Hofstadter! To Leonard and Penny!"

"To Leonard and Penny!" everyone exclaimed and took a sip of their drink.

Many more toasts followed, including a highly emotional one by Penny's father, that particularly pulled at Leonard and Penny's heartstrings. After the toast were spoken, the bride and the groom thanked all those present for their appearance and their support by going from table to table.

Then it was party time. Everyone started to mingle, either in talks on the tables or on the dance floor. Raj put on a music mix that was very rich in variety. There were high energy dance tunes, mid tempo stompers and of course the mandatory slow romantic songs. Especially Penny's sister cut up a mean floor during the fast songs.

About an hour after the dance party had begun, Raj announced another highlight of the evening. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we now come to that very special part of every wedding party, steeped in symbolism. The bridal waltz. This is the moment when the groom walks his bride to the dance floor and they begin a dance that will last the rest of their lives. Put your hands together for Leonard and Penny as they begin their special waltz as husband and wife."

Amid a hurricane of applause Leonard and Penny stepped on the dance floor. And as they started their dance under the swooning eyes of friends and family, something happened that had already occured several times on this day. Leonard and Penny totally forget the world around them. Wrapped up in a cozy bubble that was only occupied by them, they looked deeply into each other's eyes, both feeling nothing than pure love and affection for the other in this moment. As they slowly floated over the dance floor, a warm and fuzzy feeling flowed through their bodies, entering their souls and warming their hearts, which let them both sigh contentedly. They were completely taken over by the bliss of love.

"Penny, I love you so much," Leonard whispered, mesmerized by those sparkling green eyes of his wife.

"I love you too, Leonard. You can't imagine how much I love you," Penny whispered back, looking into those beautiful brown eyes of her husband.

They continued to dance to a few more slow songs for a while, immersed in their own world, until a tap on Leonard's shoulder brought them back into the real world. It was Wyatt who asked for a dance with his daughter.

For the next few hours the party continued with lots of dancing, talking and drinking. All had a great time and especially Raj enjoyed his job as emcee and DJ immensely. Around midnight it was time for the traditional throwing of the bouquet, which was caught by Amy.

It was almost 1.30 a.m. when it was time to end the reception on a high note. Leonard and Penny choose a fast and festive dance song, and all stepped on the dance floor for a last dance.

Fifteen minutes later it was time for the newlyweds to say goodbye. Penny's sister ushered everyone in front of the barn, so Leonard and Penny could make their grand exit from the reception. Like their entrance earlier, Leonard and Penny's exit was like victory parade. Bubbles were blown, sparklers were lighted and rose petals were tossed, as the bride and the groom stepped out of the barn amid cheering and rejoicing.

* * *

After a wonderful ceremony and a cheerful reception, the best part of Leonard and Penny's wedding was yet to come. It was time to slip out of the fancy clothes. After all, it was their wedding night and the newlyweds finally wanted to be alone together. Although Leonard and Penny were busy to turn their attention to their guests, they also took the time during the whole day, and especially during the reception, to meet each other's gaze, touch each other's arm or hand and steal some kisses. These little things kept them focused on each other, and built anticipation as the wedding night approached. They were determined to make this wedding night special.

The way from the barn to the farm house was ablazed with light. And the house it self was illuminated too. It was beautiful and very romantic.

Standing on the porch, Penny just wanted to enter the house, when Leonard held her back. "No, no, no. Hang on. I believe I'm supposed to carry you across the threshold."

Penny looked at Leonard with a beaming smile. "Aww, that's so sweet. Okay, let's do it."

Smiling radiantly, Leonard lifted his bride. Penny was astonished how easily Leonard carried her across the threshold. It swept her off her feet in the truest sense of the word. "Nicely done," she swooned.

Standing in the hallway, Penny locked her hands behind Leonard's neck and looked into his eyes. "What do you think? Should we go to the bedroom and make this marriage official?" she asked in a very seductive voice.

"Of course," Leonard answered and gave Penny a gentle kiss, that quickly escalated into a passionate makeout. "Phew!" he gasped. "Don't you think we should keep something for the bedroom?"

Penny giggled and took Leonard's hand, leading him upstairs to their bedroom. As soon as they entered, Penny pulled her husband in for another passionate kiss. After breaking the kiss to gasp for air, Penny turned around and asked Leonard to unzip her wedding dress. While Leonard did this, he gently pushed away Penny's hair and tenderly kissed her neck. It was amzing, how kissing this special spot below her ears triggered a blissful sensation every time. Penny let out an involuntary moan. She savored Leoanrd's ministrations for a while before she turned around to face her husband again. "Sweetie, can you please give me a few minutes to freshen up and slip into something more comfortable?"

Leonard smiled. "Okay, I'm waiting for you."

He went to the bed and sat down, quietly contemplating, as his wife went into the bathroom with a sexy smile. He took off his tuxedo, until he was only clad in a shirt and boxer shorts.

When Penny stepped out a few minutes later, Leonard's jaw dropped. Penny only wore a very short pale pink satin robe. In combination with her long blond hair that wonderfully framed her beautiful face, she looked like an angel. "Wow, you are so incredibly beautiful."

Penny smiled and walked over to her husband who got up from the bed. Wrapping her arms around Leonard's neck, Penny wasted no time and crushed her lips onto Leonard's, her tongue seeking entrance to his mouth. He immediately granted access and their tongues began a wild dance. It didn't take long until Penny started to moan with pleasure as her arousal went sky high. The same happened with Leonard. His desire for Penny in this moment was tremendous.

Penny then slowly unbelted her robe and let it fall to the floor. As she stood in front of Leonard in all her magnificent nudity, he gasped and almost fainted as he looked longingly at his wife. "Do you like what you see?" she giggled. Leonard just nodded with his mouth slightly open. It turned Penny immensely on to see what an effect she had on Leonard. She began a slow belly dance, shaking her hips in an extremely sensual manner, sending a sultry glance into his direction every so often, which let him almost go insane.

"I'm all yours," she said seductively. "Do with me whatever you want."

Leonard smiled, took off his shirt and lifted Penny on the bed, where she lay on her back. He pulled off his boxer shorts and lay down next his wife.

Leonard started to caress her from head to toe with countless kisses. Leonard's tender and at the same time fervent treatment of Penny's body, caused her to moan with pleasure and let blissful sensations running through her. For the next twenty minutes Leonard upheld his reputation as the King of foreplay. He explored Penny's body by every trick in the book. Of course Penny returned the favor and did everything to please him as well. Then the point had come to consummate their marriage. "Please make love to me," Penny whispered.

Leonard positioned himself, gave his wife a tender kiss and slowly entered her. Penny gasped and wrapped her legs around his back to feel him as deep as possible. Leonard began to thrust at a slow pace, making love in the truest sense of the word. About forty minutes later Penny felt that her body began to tense. It was an infallible sign, that her climax was approaching. The blissful sensation of the orgasm that followed a few moments later was overwhelming.

"Oh my god Leonard. Yes, Yes, Yes," she practically screamed, as she experienced new heights of pleasure.

Penny now wanted that Leonard got his own climax, so she encouraged him to thrust faster. "Faster," she panted. "Please come for me, my love."

Leonard increased his pace until his erratic movements signaled that he was nearing the edge. A few seconds later he climaxed. "Penny!" he exclaimed and collapsed on his wife.

The night was far from over after this. Leonard and Penny continued to make love until the early morning hours. Happy and satisfied the newlyweds fell into a contented sleep, when the first rays of the rising sun entered their bedroom.

 **To be continued...**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks again to all who read this little story and take time to write a review.**

 **Here's chapter 20. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 20

Leonard woke from a wonderful dream, in which he and Penny made love on a tropical beach. _Now that's the way a tropical beach should be used_ , he thought, his seven month ordeal on a tropical island not so long ago coming to his mind. He slowly opened his eyes, but had to close them again immediately, because he was dazzled by the sun that shone through the window directly into his face. He rolled sidewards and grabbed at the watch on his nightstand and was shocked, when he saw it was almost noon. Turning around to look at the place next to him, he saw that Penny was still sleeping. With a smile on her face and her long blond hair messily framing her beautiful face, she looked like an angel. And this angel was his wife.

Leaning over to her, Leonard gently kissed her cheek. "Wake up, Mrs. Hofstadter," he whispered in her ear.

Penny groaned softly, the sound escaping from her slightly open mouth full of reluctance. "Hmmmm...Nooo. Go away. Let me sleep." She turned around and pulled the blanket over her head.

Leonard had to chuckle. "No way! Get up, sleepyhead," he ordered. "It's almost noon. We have to say goodbye to our friends, they are heading to the airport soon, and then we have to pick up Emma."

Penny now opened her eyes. "I miss our little baby girl."

"Me too," Leonard replied. "Therefore, get up, so we can fetch her as quick as possible. Come on!"

Both got out of bed and put on their robes.

"To save time, we should take a shower together," Penny suggested with a mischievous grin and raised a brow.

"I see," Leonard chuckled. "Well, I'm all in for timesaving measures." He turned around to walk into the bathroom.

Penny followed close behind and squeezed Leonard's tushy. "Oh, by the way. Last night was amzing, my stallion," she giggled.

* * *

After taking a shower together, that got out of hand very quickly and ended in a mutual petting fest with happy endings, Leonard and Penny got dressed and went downstairs to see if Penny's parents were there. First they looked into the living room. Wyatt and Susan weren't there. But what they could see was, that the separated area, which housed the dining table was filled with wedding gifts.

"I can't wait to open all those gifts," Penny swooned.

"Yeah, our friends and families were quite generous," Leonard replied with a smile.

They went to the kitchen, which was deserted too. Penny sat down at the table, while Leonard went to the fridge and took out two bottles of water. Putting both on the table, he sat down too. In this moment the back door openend Susan entered the kitchen.

Susan smiled, when she saw her daughter and her new son-in-law. "Ah, our two love birdies are awake. It's about time," she chuckled. "But I don't blame you. You two probably needed to rest for a while after what sounded like a long night full of action," she added with a wink.

Leonard and Penny looked at each other and blushed, both turning as red as a beet. "Oh my god, they heard us," Penny whispered.

"I think the whole city of Omaha heard you," Susan laughed.

"Mom!" Penny exclaimed, turning even redder if that was possible. Leonard looked at the floor and wished he would be at another place in this moment.

"Oh, sweetheart," Susan chuckled. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's great you two savored your wedding night. That's the way it should be, it's something special. Your father and me..."

Penny interrupted her mother. "Okay, mom. We don't need to know this."

Susan laughed. "Okay, I don't want to embarrass you two further."

"Thanks, mom. Where's dad?" Penny asked.

"He fetched Emma," her mother answered. "He should be back any minute."

As if on cue Wyatt came in through the back door, holding a baby carrier with Emma in it. Penny immediately jumped up from her chair and walked over to her father. "Thanks for fetching Emma, dad."

"You're welcome slugger," he said with a smile and handed the baby carrier over to Penny. She put it on the kitchen table and took Emma out. Penny cuddled her daughter, which let Emma giggle. It was too cute.

Leonard watched with a beaming smile. "Can I hold her too?"

"Of course," Penny answered. She kissed Emma's nose and handed her over to Leonard. "Your daddy wants to cuddle you too."

Leonard took his daughter in his arms and did a little baby talk. Penny and Susan melted away every time, seeing how tenderly he always handled her. After a few minutes Emma began to whine. "I think she's hungry," Leonard said."

"Yeah," Penny agreed. "I'll feed her."

Leonard handed Emma over to Penny again, who walked with her to the living room to breastfeed her. In the meantime Susan had started to prepare lunch.

Thirty minutes later, after Penny had fed Emma, brought her into the nursery to change her diaper and put her to bed, they were all gathered in the kitchen to have lunch. After that Leonard and Penny drove to the airport, where they had agreed to meet at two o'clock in the afternoon, to say goodbye to Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj.

* * *

When Leonard and Penny entered the public departure area, their friends from California already waited for them. After a few minutes of small talk, it was time to say goodbye, when the boarding call for the flight to Los Angeles sounded out of the speakers.

"Leonard, Penny," Howard said. "On behalf of all of us, let me say, this was a wonderful wedding. We are so happy for you guys. And thanks again Leonard for picking me as your Best man. It was a great honor."

Leonard smiled. "You're welcome Howard." He then turned to Raj. "You were a great emcee and DJ at the reception. You should be a professional entertainer. Oh, and the tune you played on the guitar, when Penny walked down the aisle was wonderful."

"Oh, absolutely," Penny agreed and nodded vigorously.

Raj smiled coyly. "Thanks, Leonard and Penny. I'm glad you two liked it."

"We loved it," Penny added, before she turned to Amy. "Amy, thanks for being a great Maid of honor."

Amy beamed. "Aw, bestie. It was an honor to me."

"The next time we see each other will be in California, either when we visit you or when Penny, Emma and I have returned to live there again," Leonard said.

Sheldon raised his hand. "Penny, your old apartment is still available. So, I assume you move in there again. Although it will be weird, when a married couple lives in two different places. Penny and Emma in apartment 4B and Leonard as my roommate in 4A again," he said matter-of-factly.

Leonard frowned. "Sheldon, of course I will live together with my wife and my daughter."

"But our apartment is too small for two additional people," Sheldon replied.

"Sheldon, we will look for a new place to live, when we return to California," Penny said.

Sheldon shook his head. "No, you won't. 2311 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California is your place."

"Sheldon, we have to go," Amy urged her boyfriend.

"The opera ain't over until the fat lady sings," Sheldon exclaimed, turning to Leonard and Penny.

Leonard and Penny rolled their eyes in unison, and started to hug each of their friends one after the other. A few minutes later, Sheldon, Amy, Howard, Bernadette and Raj had disappeared behind the door that led to the security area.

* * *

Back at the farm Leonard and Penny opened their wedding gifts. They were marveled by the generosity of their family and friends. There was exquisite kitchenware, like a really expensive kitchen aid, and tons of tableware, including whole dinnerware and flatware sets. It was enough for a complete household. In addition they also got a lot of envelopes with cash. And here their friends and family were really generous as well.

* * *

In the following weeks and months, Leonard and Penny's life with Emma at the farm couldn't be better. It was pure domestic happiness. In regards to work, Penny reduced her time at the stud farm a bit and spent a lot of time teaching herself the essentials of fashion design and makeup artistry. When she would be back in California she wanted to do something in this area, doing something creative and artistical. Leonard, while still in his sabbatical, kept in touch with everything related to physics of course. He also wrote some tracts for science magazines and kept on working on the theoretical aspects of his work at Caltech.

* * *

It was August, when Leonard and Penny decided to go on their well-deserved honeymoon. They had booked a two-week vacation in the Dominican Republic. Of course Wyatt and Susan took care of Emma during this time.

Their flight to the Dominican Republic had a layover in Miami, Florida. While they waited in Miami for their flight to continue, Leonard and Penny started to flirt fiercely with each other. It was as if someone had put an aphrodisiac in their drinks during their flight from Omaha to Miami. The sexual tension between them was tremendous. They almost ended up in the restroom of the airport, but out of fear they could miss their flight, they had to let go of the plan to relieve the tension.

But on their flight from Miami to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, the sexual tension was hitting a level that made it inevitable to do something about it. And there was only one way to do something about it. So it didn't take long after reaching the cruising altitude, that Leonard and Penny went to see the plane lavatory. Of course in a way that didn't draw anyone's attention.

Deeply satisfied and with beaming smiles on their faces Leonard and Penny looked into each other's eyes after they had amazing sex on board a flying aircraft.

"Wow!" Leonard panted. "Joining the mile high club is a really good start into our honeymoon."

"You can say that again!" Penny grinned.

* * *

Penny slowly opened her eyes after a restful afternoon nap. A very pleasant breeze flattered her, that let the semitransparent fabric on two sides of the cabana she was laying in gently flapping. Her view was directed at the nearly white sand of the beach and the turquoise blue water of the sea, that lay under a cloudless blue sky. She stretched herself and took a sip of the fruity cocktail that was standing on a little table next to her lounger. The only thing she wore was the panty of her pink bikini, the bra laying on the wooden floor of the cabana next to her. She was about to doze off again, when she felt hands tenderly massaging her neck.

"Ah, this feels so good," she moaned.

It was Leonard of course, coming out of the beach bungalow, that directly lay behind the cabana. Stepping out of the bungalow the two honeymooners had access to a wooden patio, that opened to the beach. Leonard and Penny had their own private beach, sheltered from the looks of other people.

"You like dozing here european style, huh?" Leonard asked with a chuckle, continuing with his massage.

"Uh-huh," Penny answered, savoring Leonards's ministrations. "And you like it too," she smiled.

"Oh, yes! That's for sure!" Leonard replied and started to kiss Penny's neck, which immediately sent a blissful sensation through her entire body, giving his wife additional pleasure.

"Are you hungry?" Leonard asked after a while.

Penny was so enthralled with great delight, that she didn't fully notice Leonard's question. "Huh?"

Leonard had to smile. It was a great joy for him, that Penny savored his tender loving care so much. "I asked, if you are hungry."

"Oh...oh, yes, sure," Penny barely got out. It looked like as if she was in a trance-like state.

* * *

An hour later Leonard and Penny sat in a restaurant with a beautiful view on the Caribbean Sea. The setting sun above the horizon let the sky glow in wonderful shades of red and orange.

"This is so beautiful and romantic," Penny swooned.

"Yes, it is," Leonard agreed. "You know, as a ray of white sunlight travels through the atmosphere to us, some of the colors are scattered out of the beam by air molecules and airborne particles, changing the final color of the beam we see. Because the shorter wavelength components, such as blue and green, scatter more strongly, these colors are preferentially removed from the sunrise and sunset, when the path through the atmosphere is longer, the blue and green components are removed almost completely, leaving the longer wavelength orange and red hues we see at right now. The remaining reddened sunlight can then be scattered by cloud droplets and other relatively large particles to light up the horizon red and orange. Oh, and sunset colors are typically more brilliant than sunrise colors, because the evening air contains more particles than morning air."

Penny looked at Leonard in awe, as he explained the colors of the sunset. She loved how smart he was. And it really turned her on. "You are so smart and handsome," she said dreamily, looking into his eyes. "And you are mine."

"Yes, I'm yours," he replied with a radiant smile. "For ever."

Penny beamed. "And for ever is exactly the timespan I want you by my side."

They spent almost two hours in the restaurant before they returned to their beach bungalow. Since it was their last night of their honeymoon, they wanted to end it in a special way.

* * *

Leonard parked their rental car in front of the bungalow. He unbuckled himself, got out of the car and went to Penny's side to open the door for her. Like a true gentleman he extended his hand to help his wife getting out of the car. With a smile on her face she grasped Leonard's hand and got up from her seat. He closed the door and offered Penny his arm. She was delighted at her husband's courtesy. Putting her arm through Leonard's, he guided her around the bungalow to the patio at the beach.

"How about a short walk on the beach in the moonlight?" he asked.

"Aw, that sounds so romantic," she answered. "Sure. I'd love that."

Leonard smiled, and with Penny's arm still linked with his, they walked down the two steps to the beach. To make it easier to walk on the sand, they took off their shoes. To Penny's surprise their walk ended after just a few minutes, when they reached a big blanket that was spread on the sand. Penny could see that in one corner of the blanket a bucket was standing. It was a bucket filled with a mixture of water and ice to cool a bottle of champagne. Next to the bucket two champagne flutes were lying on the blanket.

Seeing the surprised look on Penny's face, Leonard started to explain. "I took the liberty of preparing something for us. Well, actually it was an employee of the bungalow facility, while we were at the restaurant. But I had the idea," Leonard chuckled. "I hope you like it."

Penny was excited. "Honey, that's so sweet. You are the best."

They sat down on the blanket across from one another and looked out on the ocean, the full moon bathing everything in a magical light.

"Can I offer you a glass of champagne?" Leonard asked.

"Yes, please."

Leonard poured his wife a glass of the sparkling wine and handed it over to her. After pouring himself a glass too, he raised it for a toast.

"To us and our wonderful daughter!" Leonard toasted.

Penny repeated his toast. "To us and our wonderful daughter!"

They clicked their glasses, took a sip of the champagne and in contented silence they just savored their togetherness on this beautiful tropical beach under a bright moon for a few minutes.

"I'm so happy to be here with you," Leonard broke the silence and looked deeply into Penny's eyes. "A year ago, I was all alone on a godforsaken island in the South Pacific and thought I would never see you again. But now I'm here. With you." Leonard had to pause for a moment, as his voice began to break. "The most beautiful girl in the world has married me. And not just that, I have a wonderful daughter with this girl. All my dreams have come true. I'm the happiest man on earth. I love you."

Happy tears ran down Penny's cheek. Her heart swooned. "Oh my god, Leonard," she smiled, as tears, that sparkled in the moonlight, kept running down her cheeks. "I love you too. I love you so much."

Leonard wrapped his arms around Penny and started to kiss her passionately. She reciprocated immediately and parted her lips a bit, to let his tongue enter her mouth. When their kissing came to a natural end, as they had to gasp for air, Leonard lifted up Penny's shirt and placed it carefully on the blanket. He then started to kiss her neck, which created goosebumps on her skin, as well as the familiar feeling of pure bliss inside of her. Like every time, when he touched this special sensitive spot.

Leonard continued to caress Penny's neck with his soft lips for a while, until he slowly wandered to her uncovered breasts. She uttered a moan full of pleasure, as soon as he had arrived the nipple of her left breast and started to lick. A few minutes later they were both completely undressed. After giving pleasure to each other by every trick in the book their bodies joined to make love. The only witness of this sensual act of true unconditional love, passion and commitment was the moon. A moon that was shining over two people who had found true love and who were meant to be together since the day they first met in a building located at 2311 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California.

 **To be continued...**

 **A/N: I'm not sure, when I can post the next update, but I will try to keep the wait as short as possible. Thanks for reading and/or reviewing. :-)**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thanks again to all who read this little story and take time to write a review. Thanks to SRAM for giving me a few inspirational thoughts.**

 **Here's chapter 21.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 21

Leonard sat on the porch in front of the farm house and savored the last sunrays of the day. He read a science journal and a cup of tea stood on the small table in front of him. It was mid October, but it felt like a warm summer evening. The days before it was really chilly and windy, but today the Indian summer was in full swing. The leaves on the trees glowed in wonderful shades of red, orange and yellow.

Penny was in the house and fed Emma. Leonard could see the two, when he turned around and looked through the living room window. Suddenly Leonard heard his wife calling his name.

"Leonard, come here. Hurry up!"

He immediately got up from his chair and ran into the house through the front door that stood open. Penny was in the living room, holding Emma.

"What happened?" he asked concerned, but calmed down quickly when he saw the smile on Penny's face.

"Come here," she said softly, her smile getting wider.

Leonard walked over to the chair, in which Penny and Emma sat. With a quizzical expression on his face he looked at his wife and his daughter. "What..."

"Ma...ma"

Leonard opened his eyes wide open, while at the same time his jaw dropped. "Oh my god, Emma speaks her first words."

Penny nodded, a single tear rolling down her face. "Yes, she says mama."

"Da..da"

"Did she just said 'dada'?" Leonard asked, again with eyes wide open.

"Yes," Penny confirmed.

Emma giggled and smiled at her parents. She had spoken her first words.

* * *

Since Leonard and Penny had returned from their honeymoon, Emma was more than before fully engaged with the world. She smiled, laughed, and had babbling "conversations" with her parents. And she was on the move. A few weeks ago Emma has started to roll to her tummy and back again, sat without her parent's help, and supported her weight with her legs well enough to bounce when Penny or Leonard held her. She also had begun to use a raking grasp to pull objects closer and could hold toys and move them from one hand to another.

Something that was standing out too, was that Emma was more sensitive to their parents tone of voice and heeded their warning when they teld her "no." Emma also knew her name now and turned to look when she was called.

For a month now Emma's favorite game was Peekaboo. Playing this with her was a great delight for Leonard and Penny, and for Wyatt and Susan too. During the occasional visits from Penny's sister, she played with Emma as well, which was always a lot of fun. Emma also enjoyed finding partially hidden objects. If someone moved a toy in front of her, she followed it closely with her eyes. Also watching herself in a mirror was something that delighted her very much.

Emma really thrived on the interactions she had with her mother and father, so Leonard and Penny integrated play into everything they did with her. They read a lot together with Emma every day, naming the objects they saw in books and around them. They showered her with smiles and cuddles, and replied when she babbled to encourage her communication skills. And now by mid October they were awarded with Emma's first words. And these words were "Mama" and "Dada".

* * *

"This apartment is really wonderful," Penny swooned. "It's so spacious and so bright and friendly. Emma will have so much fun here. And there's a playground right across the street."

"Yes, it's perfect," Leonard agreed. "And we can afford it."

Penny looked at Leonard with big pleading eyes. "So, we'll take this apartment. As we have agreed on yesterday. No cop out."

Leonard smiled. "No cop out!" He nodded in direction of the realtor who stood in the corner of the living room.

The middle-aged woman with short hair walked over to Leonard and Penny. "Congratulations to your new home, Dr. and Mrs. Hofstadter."

Penny flung her arms around Leonard's neck and kissed him. "Yay! We have our own home," she exclaimed happily.

After signing the necessary paperwork, that was already prepared, Leonard and Penny returned to the apartment building at 2311 North Los Robles Avenue, where they were accommodated as Sheldon's guests in Leonard's old room.

The day before, the roommate agreement between Leonard and Sheldon was terminated. It wasn't an easy task to achieve this. Sheldon acted like a stubborn child and threw a tantrum. Only after a great deal of coaxing by Amy, Sheldon was willing to talk about the termination of the roommate agreement in the first place. At one point the situation almost escalated and Penny was on the verge of slapping Sheldon in his face, when he had the audacity to fine Leonard because of non-discharge of obligations during the time of his absence.

Standing in the hall in front of apartment 4A, Leonard and Penny knocked at the door.

A few moments later Sheldon openen the door. "Aha, the traitors are back."

Leonard and Penny looked at each other, rolling their eyes.

"Sheldon, let it go," Amy hissed, who sat on the couch.

"We only take our luggage," Leonard said, passing Sheldon. "Then we drive to the airport. Our plane to Omaha takes off in three hours."

While Leonard went to his old room, Penny turned to Sheldon. "Leonard's stuff will be collected and put into storage next week."

Sheldon just nodded.

"Are you still upset, we won't live here anymore when we're back?" Penny asked.

"I am," Sheldon answered and sat down in his spot on the couch next to Amy.

Penny shook her head. "Well, you have to accept it."

Leonard came back with two traveling bags. "Okay, I'm ready to go." Seeing the sore face Sheldon was making, he shook his head too. "Sheldon, the roommate agreement is terminated. I'm not coming back. I will live with my wife and my daughter. And no modification of the bathroom schedule is gonna change that."

"I still can't believe you do this to me," he complained.

Penny went over to Amy and hugged her. "Bye, Ames."

Sheldon demonstratively crossed his arms in front of him. "No hug from me, Mrs. Hofstadter."

Penny just rolled her eyes and went to the door, while Leonard hugged Amy. He then walked over to his wife. "Goodbye you two," Leonard said, looking at Sheldon and Amy. "The next time we see each other we'll be in our new apartment. You two are invited to our welcome party and in addition to it you can visit us every time you want. But please call first."

"Alrighty," Amy said and waved at Leonard and Penny. "See you soon."

Leonard and Penny stepped out of the apartment, while Leonard closed the door behind them. Outside the building a taxi was already waiting to bring them to the airport. The taxi started and they looked back to the rear window to the building, where they had spent so many years, where they had meet each other and where they had fallen in love with each other.

As they drove to the airport on this morning in mid November, they held hands and smiled at one another. Leonard's sabbatical would end in a few weeks. And then Leonard, Penny and Emma were ready to start their new family life at a new place in Pasadena, California.

* * *

Exactly one year after his return from a seven-month ordeal on a deserted island, Leonard was back in California with his wife Penny and their daughter Emma. It was mid December 2014, and the Christmas spirit had seized hold of Leonard and Penny. A beautiful Christmas tree graced the living room of their new place. Leonard and Penny's stored furniture, along with all their stuff from Nebraska, especially their wedding gifts, had been transported to the new residence. Howard, Bernadette, Amy and Raj were regular guests during the first days after the moving in and they also helped to furnish the apartment. Only Sheldon refused to visit Leonard and Penny in their new home. His obstinacy really became ridiculous. It was only after New Year's day, when he made his first official visit, and only on the insistence of Amy.

* * *

Although Leonard and Penny missed Nebraska immensely, the little family settled into their new life quite fast. Emma got used to the new California life without any problems, and made huge progress in her development in those months before her first birthday.  
The new apartment was like an adventure playground for her. She became an eager explorer and kept them on their toes constantly. Of course Leonard and Penny made sure to provide a safe space to explore. It was delight to see, how quickly she could get around when she crawled or scooted. She could also sit on her own and grabbed anything she could pull to herself. Leonard and Penny paid particular attention to what Emma enjoyed, and gave her the freedom to use all her senses to play and discover. They offered her crayons and paper, stacking blocks, empty food containers, and pots and pans to play with. And Emma gratefully accepted all those things with great enthusiasm.

Emma was a little angel, so Leonard and Penny always praised and rewarded her good behavior. For the rare cases, when she got into mischief, a brief "no" and redirection was enough. Although Emma was too young to understand and obey rules, they started to show her which behaviors weren't allowed and always helped her to find more appropriate activities.

When it came to walking, Emma wasn't there yet, but Leonard and Penny helped her in every possible way to get ready for her first steps by holding her in a way that put weight on her legs or by propping her up against the couch in the living room. But then it happened. During the first days of the new year Emma started to undertake her first wobbly solo steps. Of course everything was filmed or photographed, many photos finding their way into Leoanrd and Penny's baby journal for Emma.

Another important thing was Emma's language development. Leonard and Penny kept talking to her, since this was a critical time for her development in this area. When they talked to her, they always described their routine, what they were doing in this moment and what they would be going to do next, and what they saw. But they didn't just talk with Emma, but also about her, describing how they think she was feeling. This helped her to learn emotions. Leonard and Penny kept reading together with their daughter and played a lot of games with her, she enjoyed very much. Like peekaboo, hide-and-seek and turn-taking games. Their reward was, that Emma's babbling also began to sound more like a real conversation. She paid close attention to Leonard and Penny's words and started to talk in simple phrases. Calling Penny "mommy" and Leonard "daddy", hence distinguish them was no problem for her. Other children in her age still called their parents "mama" and "dada", no matter who they were talking to.

Emma's hands became increasingly nimble. She amused herself by putting things in containers and taking them out again. She could use her thumb and finger as a pincer as a grasp to eat finger food. She loved drinking from a cup, and pretending to talk on the phone. What she particularly loved was combing her own hair, which had the same color like Leonard's. It was also as curly as his. However, Emma's eyes were clearly inherited by her mother.

While Emma was generally outgoing, she was a bit reserved around other people than her parents. When it was time to bring her to a daycare center, when Leonard and Penny were at work, Emma became distraught at first when they left her for a few hours, but separation anxiety was normal at this age and nothing to be worried about. To ease Emma's anxiety, Leonard and Penny built up trust, by giving her time to get used to the new caregivers and always said goodbye and kissed her before they had to leave.

* * *

On the first workday of the new year, Leonard returned to work at Caltech. He was welcomed back with an impromptu party at the cafeteria. President Siebert and Dr. Gablehauser, the head of the Physics Department at Caltech presented little welcome gifts to him. Even Sheldon showed his appreciation.

"Dude, it's so good to have you back," Raj said.

"Yes, " Howard agreed. "Sitting here on this table was not the same without you."

Sheldon just nodded with a smile, that really seemed to be sincere. "Yes, Leonard. We missed you."

Leonard smiled. "Thanks guys. This means a lot to me."

In the following months Leonard worked hard and was eventually rewarded with extraordinary results in his field of reserach. They were published in the most acknowledged science magazines around the world and even Sheldon couldn't deny Leonard his well-deserved recognition. But the best of all was, that the Nobel Committee for Physics became aware of him.

* * *

The return to California was also a new start for Penny's career. She found a job as an assistant for a fashion designer in Burbank, California. It was well-paid and her working hours didn't include any early or late shifts like her waitressing job at the Cheesecake Factory she had disliked so much. Finally she had found a job, she totally enjoyed and also gave her a lot of time she could spent with her husband, her daughter and her friends. It was something in which she could give her creativity full scope. And in her leisure she created her own fashion ideas.

After presenting some of her own creations on social media services like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, high profile major clothing companies took notice of her. For these companies she designed modern fashion for women and eventually she had her own brand. Penny had finally found fulfillment when it came to work.

* * *

It was a bright late summer day in early September. It was warm, but not too warm. Combined with the cool breeze that blew from the sea it was just very pleasant. Leonard and Penny walked hand in hand along the beach at Santa Monica Pier with its ferris wheel and the roller coaster track of Pacific Park. After a while Leonard and Penny stopped and turned to face each other, looking deeply into their eyes.

Suddenly Leonard's facial expression became thoughtful.

Penny smiled and gently ran her fingers through Leonard's curly hair. "Honey, you look absent-minded. What is crossing your mind?"

Leonard blinked, as if he was brought out of a dream. "Huh? Oh...Ummm...Well, this is exactly like the dream I had the night before I left the island on the raft to return to you about four years ago. It's the same place, the same weather. This cool breeze from the sea. Yeah, it's really exactly like the dream. Amazing."

Penny linked her arms behind Leonard's neck and smiled at him. "See, dreams can come true."

Leonard nodded, smiling radiantly. "Yes, dreams can come true." He tucked a strand of Penny's long blond hair behind her ear and looked deeply into those mesmerizing green eyes of his wife for a few seconds. "I'm married to the most beautiful woman in the world and we have a wonderful daughter together. This is also a dream that came true for me. And this dream which has become real makes me so happy."

Penny beamed. "I love you Leonard".

"I love you too, Penny."

Leonard leaned forward and kissed his wife. Soft and tender at first, but the kiss became more and more passionate with every second. Like so many times before they completely forgot the world around them.

When they broke the kiss to gasp for air, a little three-year-old girl ran up to them, holding a balloon in one of her hands that had a cartoon character printed on it. It was Emma. Coming closer, with a bright smile on her face. "Mommy! Daddy! Look what Grandma and Grandpa have bought for me," she happily exclaimed.

Leonard smiled. "Wow! What a wonderful balloon." He lifted his daughter up, which made her giggle.

Wyatt and Susan came up to Leonard, Penny and Emma. "Let's have a bite," Wyatt said. "Running with Emma up and down the beach made us hungry. Actually this visit was intended for recreation. But this little lady keeps us on the hop quite well."

Penny chuckled. "Yes, she's pretty challenging. Very well then, let's eat something. There's a great restaurant just around the corner."

Leonard and Penny took Emma by her hands, so she could walk between her parents, and started to go to the restaurant. Wyatt and Susan followed closely behind.

* * *

A few hours later, Leonard and Penny sat on the balcony of their apartment and looked at the sunset. The sky was painted in the most amazing shades of red and orange. Emma was already sleeping and Wyatt and Susan sat in the living room and watched TV.

Leonard looked at Penny, who admired the setting sun. After a few moments she noticed that Leonard was looking at her. Penny took his hand and smiled. "Honey, you look so absent-minded again. Like earlier today. What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about us and how happy you make me," he answered.

"Aw, Leonard. You make me incredibly happy too."

Leonard leaned forward and gave Penny a tender kiss on her lips. "I love you."

Penny smiled and gently stroke Leonard's cheek. "I love you, too."

Holding hands, Leonard and Penny continued to look at the setting sun.

 **THE END**

 **Well, that's it. I hope you liked this little story. Thanks for reading and thanks for all the reviews. You guys are the best.**

 **See you next time! :-)**


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